


The Paranorms

by Grim_lord15



Category: Worm - Wildbow
Genre: AU, Adventure, Anime, Butterfly Effect, Multi, OCs - Freeform, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-04 11:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11554050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grim_lord15/pseuds/Grim_lord15
Summary: Riza was always an odd person, and when the Leviathan destroyed Brockton Bay that only got worse. Or better, depending. With no other logic to her thought process other than "Why the fuck not?" Riza works her way through Worm cannon, making small changes at first, then massive changes the long things go on.





	1. Hey, That's Me!

You know? Given my particular situation, I’m reminded of my time in middle school when I and all the other children talked about what superpowers we would have. Only we never really did consider how we would get those powers. I mean, trigger events aren’t even that well know among normal humans in the Protectorate. And even if we did speculate what our trigger events would be, we would cheat. Make something up that wouldn’t really both us, but sound bad enough just count towards that. And I, like so many others, would have never thought of what was happening right now as being my trigger.

Of course, I honestly can’t think of a better time than being stuck inside a car port with a piece of rebar stuck through my shoulder as Armsmaster has a dick measuring contest with the Leviathan to learn I have the ability to make reality my own personal bitch. But give me time, I might come up with something.

 

The trigger event was an odd thing to feel. I mean, at first I was trying not to think about my the intense pain blossoming from my shoulder in an attempt not to scream. Then suddenly that pain was reduced to a dull burning sensation and I was suddenly aware of everything within a certain distance around me. Like a massive bubble surrounded me I was intuitively aware of almost everything in my surrounds, including the car two ceilings above me getting ready to fall down.

I wasn’t entirely sure it wouldn’t break through the ceiling between me and it, as this was a carport and as far as I could tell they had pretty thick floors. Only this building was barely standing as it was, so maybe hanging out underneath what will soon be the landing zone of an SUV wasn’t such a great idea.

“ARGHAAaaaaAAA!” I inelegantly shouted as I pulled my shoulder off the metal construction pole. “MMMHhhhmm, that's brisk!” It burned like a motherfucker, but at the same time I kind of enjoyed it. It wasn’t so intense enough that I wished it was gone, just enough to burn. It certainly wasn’t hurting as much as it should be, it was an interesting feeling.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Armsmaster playing with Leviathan not that far away, to far for my sphere of I-know-everything power. Speaking of that, I suddenly felt someone enter that on the outside wall of the carport. I couldn’t quite feel them they way I felt everything else around me. It was like the walls and objects were in high definition but whoever this person was they felt like a silhouette. But more than that, I realized I had a measure of feeling over everything in the area, like a thousand hands touching each and every surface. It was only when these metaphorical hands didn’t touch the yet to be named person did I even notice this was a thing.

Curiously, I tried experimenting with this as I made my way to the crouching person, pressing my hand against the gaping hole in my shoulder. It would kind of suck if I bled out after just becoming a superhero.

As it turns out, this feeling I had about my general surroundings only let me exert a sort of pressure on them. I’m not exactly sure what that did, but I did notice something started looking a little… smoother around the edges. I decided to put that off for a moment. More not dieing now and less experimenting with unknown power.

My first priority was getting to the person on the ground nearby. With any luck it would be a cape of some sort that could make sure I don’t die before I get to some doctors. Then after that I might decided to face the fact my entire life is over as the Leviathan just got done destroying everything I know and love. Actually, made I should just ignore that part.

A swung over the railing and landed next to… Skitter. Okay, wow. I mean, with all the heros running about the bay to fight the Endbringer, what are the chances I would land right next to Brockton Bay’s up and coming villain? She’s no Lung or Kaiser she is definitely up there. One of the scarier ones when you consider she runs Regent and Hellhound.

“Excuse me,” I gasped as I landed in the water sodden grass beside her. She was already looking at me with her creepy bug mask before I managed to roll my head and look at her.

“Your injured,” she said bluntly.

“Oh, when then that happen? Must have tripped on something.” I said it with as real as smile as I could manage, although her mask made it impossible for me to see her reaction.

“Do you think you can hold on for a little bit?” I paused both responding. I looked down and took my hands away from the wound.

“It looks like I’m clotting well enough. I probably won’t die in the next twenty minutes, so long as I avoid any more pointy objects.” I had lost a ton of blood, but I didn’t any of the effect I thought it would have. Was that part of my power? It was almost annoying that I couldn’t begin test at this moment. But that would have to wait until I got a quick patch job, a shower, and a new bra because clearly this one was no good. Although, blood red wasn’t such a bad colour on me either.

“Good, then we need to get to Armsmaster.”

“Get to Armsmaster?” Oh, it appears Armsmaster, or more appropriate Armmaster, had fallen to the ground, his Halberd and arm hitting the water not to far from him. I was all for help what might be my future employer if things go right, but there was the issue of the hulking lizard/human monster hovering over him.

But one does not simply refuse when the super villain you are following with the hopes of running into some superhuman friends that do some superhuman healing begins to walk forward and expects you to follow.

I made it about three steps before we both froze and the Leviathan stopped moving and turned to look our way. I was briefly aware of someone entering my sphere of influence. It was only there for barely a second before it was gone again, moving in the direction of the Leviathan. There was a massive wave of water which moved behind the person as they moved.

I turned and looked at the Leviathan with Skitter standing still beside me. A vaguely human shape had been running fast across the ground. The Leviathan raised a claw to do something but never got the chance as the person lept through the air much higher than I would have thought possible, until I remembered parahuman exist and slapped myself for being an idiot. And great, now there is a bloody handprint on my face.

There was a massive explosion and caused me to redirect my attention to the scene unfolding in front of me. Whoever it was that was doing the running just punched the Leviathan in the face, hard. The was even a white shock wave of air going around the Leviathan's face before it fell backwards. The human shape plummeted to the ground a second later, falling out of sight.

The Leviathan got back on its feet and instant later. Its entire face had caved inward from where the parahuman had punched it a moment ago. The Leviathan hesitate toward us for a moment, before turning and running. Apparently the crater making punch to the face was the last straw. Hopefully the Endbringer won’t return to this side of the coast again, we could only hope.

Oh, falling now. I found my self fell face first against the flooded street, getting a mouthful of water in the process. I spat out the mouthful of water and struggled to my feet as I tried to fight out a wave of dizziness that had struck me out of nowhere. I found my footing and started looking around for Skitter.

She had apparently lost a hand somewhere along the way and was bleeding pretty badly. I sauntered up to her as easily as I could manage with the light headedness going on now. She was speaking into those arm bands they all wore.

“-master down! CC-7! The Leviathan heading towards the ocean…” Skitter paused and began applying pressure on Armsmaster’s stump. I slumped on the ground next to her and him, suddenly to tried to say or do anything useful. I had to hand it to Skitter, she was taking the broken arm and missing hand rather well. I had a hole in my shoulder, but that hadn’t been really painful since I triggered. I wanted nothing more than to rest and feel the pain in my shoulder play out. But I couldn’t stop, stopping meant facing hard facts. I had enough self awareness to know that much, and I knew what would happen if I didn’t come to terms with those facts. But all the same, it would be better now if I didn’t think about it. I needed something else to distract me. I need something to do, some way to help.

Suddenly it clicked that maybe I could do something. My power dulled the pain and appeared to give me a bit more blood to loose or something along those lines. Maybe it gave everyone in my sphere of effect something similar? Or more likely given how every power seems to act it would probably drain some life force or something out of those two, and that probably wouldn’t look good for me once the heroes came for us.

I closed my eyes and focused on exerting that pressure on myself. Instantly I felt the pain dull in my shoulder and the light headedness fade. I glanced down and saw the wound itself hadn’t changed so much. Wait, no, that wasn’t true. It had changed, just in a weird way. It looked smoother some how, and the blood looked a little lighter.

I shook my head and focused back on Skitter and Armsmaster. I used my new found strength to stand up and was about to offer to take over when a human shaped shadow fell over me. I looked up to see a cape in a Russian themed costume. He wore a thick grey trench coat with a large fur lining and a match grey fur cap with a red star in the centre. His mask was white with red stripes and yellow eye pieces that covered everything but his mouth, which was set in a steady frown.

“You are attempting to help, yaes?” The question was directed at Skitter, not me even though I was the only standing. I was more blown away by the fact the he even spoke in a heavy Russian accent. What was a Russian cape doing here? Was he even Russian or was he just pretending?

Skitter nodded and tried to apply more pressure, but she was barely standing. The Russian cape tilted his head and asked,

“But he is hero, no? And you are villian?” Skitter nodded her head and tried not to sway, failing.

“There is a treaty.”

“But treaty says do not attack enemies does it not? You could leave hero here and no one would know.” Skitter was silent for a moment.

“I would know.” The Russian cape nodded and looked up.

“Might I help then?” Skitter nodded and moved away. The Russian cape leaned down a plucked Armsmaster up like it was nothing and threw him on his shoulder. He offered a hand to Skitter, who took it and was lifted up and put on his shoulder just as easily as if she were made of paper.

“Her too,” Skitter said, pointing at me.

“Aw, you remembered.” I said with a grin on my face. With Skitter on his shoulder he reached out and grabbed me by my good arm and pulled me close, wedging my bad shoulder between myself and his chest.

“Vhich direction?” The Russian cape asked. Skitter checked her arm band and then point in the general direction of what I hoped was a hospital of some sort. And suddenly we were in the air.

It was at this moment I realize these was the same guy that made the Leviathan's face look like the Gulf of Mexico as he leaped from the ground to the top of the highest building in the area before I had a chance to blink. I looked up to see Skitter’s reaction, but she appeared to be unconscious. Oh well, more fun for me.

Or maybe I should sleep. As the edges of my vision grew darker I felt oddly tired. If it wasn’t for the constant input by everything in my sphere of influence I might have already been asleep. The wind in my face every time The Russian leaped was quite soothing. All I need was to close my eyes and...


	2. Hey, Thats Not Me!

Taylor slowly regained a sort of consciousness, but it was immediately clear that she wasn't in any sort of natural environment. Blackness stretched infinitely in all directions, but she got the sense she could see just fine. She looked down at her body, she was still wearing her costume except for the mask. She briefly panicked when she realized that, thinking that someone had unmasked her and revealed her identity. But no, she had her arm and hand. Meaning this was something else.

A man with a black cane tipped in silver on both ends came strolling into her vision. He wore an all black suit, no tie or anything fancy. Just enough to get by in the workplace, but still sloppy enough to make a display out of it. He had short greying hair and rough hair around his chin. He spun his cane and watched Taylor for a long moment. When she opened his mouth to speak he cut her off.

“In five minutes you're going to wake up in a hospital bed and probably be in pain.” The man said. “You're going to see me there, most of the time, but don’t try and talk to me; you’ll only look like an idiot.”

“What’s going on?” She finally managed to ask. The man sighed.

“Look, I have to explain this enough times as it is and I don’t have the time to sit around and explain every little detail before you wake up. So I’m going to says this once and then you focus on not getting us killed for at least a week.” He took a breath and rested both hands on his cane.

“My name is Tenant and I am dead. Many trigger events put people on the edge of death, however, mine required me to actually die. At the exact same instance that I died, I triggered, which works out for me because my power is moving into other people’s minds.” Tenant paused and checked to see if she was getting this. He spoke with a practiced ease. “I have been in the minds of hundreds of people and over that time I have seen a lot of things. Unfortunately for my last host, the Leviathan killed him during the battle. And you just so happened to be nearby when I got evicted.

“So now you are my host presumably until you die. While I’m am here I have a limited ability to manipulate how your brain functions if you want it. Are there any questions?” Taylor felt like letting her jaw drop but resisted as the last part caught her off guard more than anything else.

“Manipulate my mind how?” Tenant thought it over for a few moments.

“That depends entirely on you. The better we get along the more leverage I am going to have. A measure of trust on your end if you will. I have seen a lot of people both hate and enjoy my company over the years, and I have seen people both hate me and like me. Not so much the latter, because you know, the whole mind control thing. But in general terms I’m going to be able to increase your power’s range to some degree, increase your ability to multitask, take extremely limited control of your ‘swarm’ as you call it, and I may be able to increase your brain function overall. I’m studying your mind now and just from what I see you're not a complete moron so we should get along more or less.” Taylor frowned at him and opened her mouth to say something, only to get cut off again.

“You're about to wake up. Again, don’t try to speak to me, just think at me if you have to. I can try and dull some pain, but otherwise, you're going to be fine. They’ll use their cape magic on you and you’ll be ready to risk your life like every other idiot out there.” Tenant was rolling his eyes as Taylor’s vision began to fade and she slipped back into a sleep like state.

A dull pain ached around her arm and hand were they had been injured. The rest of her body felt equally as stiff and sore as she tried to move. She was suddenly aware that someone was touching her. She turned her head slightly to see Panacea focusing as her hand and arm twisted back into shape, The pain swiftly faded as they came back together. Her hand and arm moved back into place as they were supposed to and began to function again.

“Um,” Skitter grunted, stirring slightly in the bed. Panacea glanced up at her and moved her hands away.

“So, you're awake.” Panacea sighed. “You had a broken arm and lost your hand along with a small rib fracture. There was a bit of brain damage, but that was beyond the scope of my abilities.

“Those things you said at that bank? About making me obese or making everything I ate taste like bile, you didn’t do any of that did you?” Panacea smirked with a smug reassurance.

“I could have. I guess you will have to trust that I’m a decent person and wouldn’t do that. Or I might have set things on a time delay, I guess time will tell.” Skitter paused for a moment, thinking.

“Are you a decent person?” Panacea frowned.

“Of course I am.” Skitter nodded and looked down at her hands, one of them still handcuffed to the bed.

“I still like to think I am. Not everything I have done has worked out like I meant it to, but there was always some good reason for it. To the point, I don’t think of myself as a bad person.” Panacea’s eyes narrowed.

“Then either you're ignorant, deluded, or have a very twisted perspective.”

“Or maybe,” A new voice joined the conversation. Skitter looked up to see The Russian standing on the inside of the curtain we the two of them, Tenant lurking in the corner behind him. “Your own feelings towards Skeetar,” His Russian accent gave the name an odd sound, “has deluded how you think of someone who wants to be good person.” Panacea tensed.

“You don’t know her, you haven't seen what her friends did to-”

“I thought ve were talking about Skeetar? And I saw vhat she did buring Leviathan attack. She helped tinker hero without needing to. Sound like good person to me.” Panacea rose from her seat angrily and stiffly walked out of the curtain area, the PRT officer with her following close behind. Skitter sighed audibly and looked back down.

“Thank you for that,” she said.

“No problem,” The Russian answer, taking a seat next to her bed. “The name is Brute. Or Brute the Brute if you’d like.” Skitter smiled behind the mask. He had to be every bit of Brute 8 or maybe even Brute 9 to do what he did against the Leviathan. The humour of the name choice wasn’t lost on her.

Skitter absently pulled on her restraints while she thought. She looked up and met Tenant’s eyes for a moment.

“The guy obviously wants something.” Tenant said plainly. “Only reason he would be here.” Skitter frowned and Tenant rolled his eyes. “Make conversation you idiot, find out what he is here for. The worst that-” He was cut off by Brute rising from his chair and reaching over the bed. He pinched the handcuff in between two fingers and the metal snapped under the pressure.

“Thank you,” Skitter said.

“Mm,” Brute grunted.

“Do you know why I was chained to the bed? Are they planning on arresting me?”

“Doubtful. They want to make sure no villain goes hunting for enemies’ secret identity. But I also heard that a particular laser hero and tinker hero want to talk to you.”

“Legend and Armsmaster?”

“Yaes.” Skitter nodded and fell silent for a few more awkward minutes before asking,

“So, are you Russian?” Brute frowned.

“Actually, the accent came with the power, not sure why. I come from Boston, originally. But have been roaming for while now.” At that moment the curtain opened again and Armsmaster, Miss Militia, and Legend stepped into the room. They each froze when they saw Brute waiting patiently by Skitter’s beside.

“What are you doing here?” Armsmaster asked dangerously. His arm was still missing, but it apparently it didn’t bother him. He could probably build a new one, Skitter guessed. Brute shrugged.

“I have decided to follow Skeetar for time being.” Skitter froze.

‘What does that mean? Follow me?'

“This is either really good news or really bad news,” Tenant said, observing the scene casually. He glanced back at Skitter and said, “And no, I don’t know what it means either.”

“We have you on record as being a mercenary,” Legend said. “Does this mean Skitter has hired you or something of the sort?” Brute shook his head.

“No, I am not mercenary. I am a tool to be used, and I pick those who are worthy to use me and lend myself to them. My last wielder did not want to fight Leviathan, and he lost my respect. So I killed him and came to fight. During which, Skeeter has impressed me by helping tinker hero there and little girl she met along the way. So Skeeter is my wielder for moment.”

“Hey, this little girl has a name,” the girl said, walking from around the corner. The hole in her shoulder was all bandaged up and she wore that trademark grin Skitter was getting used to seeing her with. “Riza, at your service.”

Riza had stylish blond hair, if you could ignore all the drying blood in it. She wore a low crop black shirt that had ‘Badass’ written on the front along with a pair of incredibly tight short shorts.

“Skitter,” Tenant said with mild amusement, “I can tell you're not into that sort of thing, so can I ask why you're staring at her chest?” Skitter blinked and turned away, suddenly glad she was wearing the mask as she felt the heat rising to her face.

‘It's not my fault’ she thought at Tenant. ‘Those things should be illegal.’ Tenant paused and thought about that for a moment.

“Alright, can you stop everyone else so we can discuss that specifically?”

“You need to get out of here.” Armsmaster was telling Riza in a rather threatening tone. Riza quirk an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t need to do anything. I can be in here with Skitter if I like, right tough guy?” Brute grunted his agreement. Miss Militia looked between them all and stepped forward, place an arm across Armsmaster to prevent him from doing more.

“This isn’t going anywhere, we need to talk about-”

“Hey guys, whatsup?” Tattletale asked easily, striding in with Grue and Bitch behind her. Miss Militia sighed and said,

“We were just about to discuss certain questionable actions Skitter took during the fight with the Leviathan, however Brute has posed a new problem.” Everyone’s eye turned to Brute, who remained emotionless. Tenant, invisible to everyone else, came and sat on the end of Skitter’s bed, he would have been sitting on her legs if he weighed anything.

“Interesting…” He said thoughtfully.

‘What?’ Tenant tilted his head.

“Brute is important or dangerous enough to derail possible allegations of you breaking the truce while in the fight.” Tenant turned and looked at Skitter. “And you apparently control him now, a bit more useful than bug powers.” Tenant paused. “Of course if that is the case they are going to try and take him from you, someway somehow. Oh look, there it is now.” Skitter turned her focus back on the conversation.

“We are heros.” Legend had said. “If you are looking for people doing good, then you should be allying yourself with us.” Brute crossed his arms.

“Skeeter has impressed me. You? Not so much. It isn’t a matter of ‘be good’ it is a matter of ‘do good’. And while you Protectorate,” Brute sounded out the word slowly so his accent didn’t mangle it, “do good, you are bad at it. My wielder must be smart, and use me well. You are government, and government never do anything efficiently.” Brute nodded toward Tattletale and Grue. “And I have it on good authority that Skeeter does things well. Does them smart.” Slowly, Skitter got up out of bed, she couldn’t take lying down any longer, not while people argued around her.

“But we can’t let you leave,” Armsmaster stated sourly.

“Then you’ll have to break the truce,” Tattletale told him. “We’re leaving with the two of them, unless you want everything to come falling in on your head.” Armsmaster’s eye narrowed at her, but it was Legend who spoke.

“Brute is a threat that everyone understands, just as easily as he is a turning point in Endbringer fights, he extremely detrimental in all other regards. No one, not even villains who would want this to blow up in our faces, would fault us for wanting to stop him. But I am giving him and you a chance to give up peacefully.”

“We would fault you,” Tattletale said seriously. “If Brute is swearing his allegiance to Skitter than he is officially an Undersider. And if you try to hurt our team during a truce…”

“Again,” Miss Militia cut in. “Everyone understands the threat of Brute, no one but you will claim we broke the truce.

“Ah, but we can raise our voices pretty high, like this;” Tattletale pressed the armband and a broadcast opened up on everyone’s armband saying,

“Manpower deceased, CD-6. Aegis deceased, CD-6. Fenja down, CC-6. Fenja deceased, CC-6. Kid Win down, CC-6. Skitter deceased, CC-6. Kaiser deceased, CC-6.”

“Oh, he got tense.” Tenant pointed out, looking at Armsmaster.

“You see,” Tattletale said, “I happened to notice Skitter isn’t dead. So it would seem that someone intentionally broke her armband to make her seemed dead. Someone with an EMP, someone who thought they could take on the Leviathan in a one on one fight.”

“Hey,” Riza said, “That sounds like Armsmaster.”

“Huh, imagine that,” Tattletale said with a smile. She leaned back and stretched before continuing. “So what I’m thinking is that a certain Tinker we all know used his predictive program to put a bunch of villains in the way of the Leviathan while Clockblocker had it tagged so that he could have his glorious battle and kill the Leviathan once and for all. Only it didn’t work and I imagine that it would be rather bad if other people learned about this.”

Armsmaster suddenly launched himself at Tattletale, only to be hit with a beam of light from Legend. Armsmaster went careening to the ground. When he stopped he looked up and managed to say,

“You bitch.” Tattletale shrugged.

“I’ve been called worse. And honestly? Your plan was pretty stupid. The way Endbringer physiology work you could have-”

“Shut up, you don’t know everything,” Armsmaster spat, his eye settling on Skitter.

“Oh dear,” Tenant said, understanding what was about to happen the exact same time Skitter did.

“Grue, shut him up.” Skitter said quickly. Grue raised a hand, but didn’t throw his darkness out.

“She’s not who you think she is,” Armsmaster said, pointing a finger at Skitter. “She’s a wanna be hero, has been from the start. Since the night Lung was first brought into custody. I met her that night. She said she was a hero, that you Undersiders mistook her for a villain. I didn’t think twice about it until she arranged a meeting with me, the night before the bank robbery. Told me she had joined your group as an undercover agent, getting the dirt on you so she could hand that group over to us. Talked to me again the night you raided the fundraiser, out there on the balcony. Told me if I let her go, she’d get the details on your boss to me. Guess she hasn’t gotten around to figuring that little detail out, yet.” Tenant raised an eyebrow at Skitter.

“Your throat is a little dry there. I can tell your brain to activate the salivary glands if you want.” Skitter didn’t answer, too paralyzed from watching the scene unfold.

“Is this true?” Grue asked Tattletale. She sighed and said,

“Yeah.” Skitter looked between them all for a moment. Bitch was staring at her with wide eyes, her teeth bared. Skitter took one step backward, then another, and then she was running. No one moved to stop her, but Brute disappeared as he followed her out.

There was a tense moment of silence as everyone stood there, Armsmaster on the ground with one of Miss Militia’s guns trained on him. After a moment Riza looked a Tattletale and said,

“So I heard there was an opening on your team…”


	3. First Steps

I had been considering becoming a superhero, a good guy, someone in The Wards maybe. And I would probably really good at it too. But I was just out of my trigger event and wasn't thinking straight. I mean, I was probably a lot more coherent about things than other capes, but still, I was pretty out of it all things considered. But it didn't take long after getting my shoulder patched up for me to remember that being a supervillain would be much more fun. And after seeing Skitter run away from her problems I saw my opportunity and took it.

Only I didn't think that would mean following Tattletale around until she understood my power. It is so boring and everything I do she has to pick apart. I want to sneak a doughnut, she knows. I want to wear an underwire bra, she is there to remind me I don't need it, like I don't know that. I want to go shopping, she knows what I want and gets it for me because apparently I'm not worth the entry payment into The Undersiders until she is done vetting me.

I didn't need this, I flip a middle finger to physics and I had to hang around Lisa because she didn't like my explanation. Everyone else liked it, particularly Regent. I gave the world around me anime physics.

I honestly don't know why Tattle didn't accept that answer, we pretty much proved it too. I extended my influence over the area and after in a few minutes, everything looked a little more cartoonish. I could jump incredibly high and move really fast among a dozen other things. Although the real test was when Regent asked me to jump up and down and they all got to my breasts move like they were made of jello.

If that wasn't proof enough I don't know what was.

But regardless I was stuck following her around until I could sell her on the idea that I made the world around me the greatest anime ever. I guess I can't complain much as Coil was already working on putting a costume together for me, so anime is the theme whether Tattle likes it or not. But that doesn't mean much when she tells me to stay behind while she does the interesting thing. Like talking to the previous member of the team while I grabbed a coffee with Brute.

So Brute and I got to chill out inside a coffee shop near the memorial. It was an odd thing, like they just decided 'fuck it, we'll put a big brick of black marble down on the untouched side of town and carve these losers name in. They will keep them happy right?'. But guess there was sentiment there that I just wasn't getting.

I shrugged and slid into the booth, Brute sitting across from me. "So, Brute," I spoke quietly so no one heard his villain name. "Why don't you have a civilian name?" Brute looked at me for a moment. It was my first time seeing him out of costume, as he had been following Taylor around for a while. He had black hair that he was beginning to grow long. His face was thin, but with a strong jaw line.

"Because civilian identity died many years ago. Have not needed since," Brute half grunted half said. I shrugged.

I understood the sentiment. My family, my job, and pretty much everything else I cared about all died when the wanna-be Godzilla monster stepped on my family's bakery. I would be more torn up about it, but I've been making sure my focus was shifted elsewhere. Like running from said Godzilla monster, getting the rebar out of my shoulder, getting pumped up about getting superpowers, joining a supervillain team. Anything but dwelling on the fact that I probably won't need my civilian identity anymore either. I would have to face that reality eventually, but maybe if I put it off long enough it won't have any real effect on me.

"But you really should pick a name. Maybe something that also sounds Russian." Brute nodded.

"Mhm, I vill think on it."

"So, been hanging out with Taylor huh? Anything going on in that department?" Brute looked at me flatly.

"No." I rolled my eyes.

"My god, you suck at small talk!" Brute raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hm?"

"You spent the last few days hanging out with someone who had clearly been planning on betraying her team. Surely there have to be some stories in there." Brute shrugged.

"Perhaps. She is like others before her. Unsure of how to handle me. But she vill learn, in time." And yet another statement that brought our conversation to a grinding halt. Come you big brute, I'm trying not to go mad with boredom before Lisa gets back.

"So, what is your power, specifically?" Brute shrugged.

"I hit hard, am hard to hit, and heal what does hit."

"There has to be more to it than that. These are superpowers, they don't settle for something simple. It is always something a little off kilter, something different." Brute shrugged again.

"I steal the strength, healing, and durability factors of those I defeat. Works better if I kill them."

"Even from normal people?" Brute nodded.

"Smart man explained it like this to me once; Normal person has healing factor of one. I make them unable to fight, I steal .3 of factor. If I kill them I steal .5 of factor. So I travel and beat stronger opponents. Then one day, I will kill Behemoth."

"Is that why you killed your last guy? He didn't want to fight the Leviathan so you took it as a personal insult?" Brute shook his head.

"No, if he had ordered me to search and rescue I would have been unhappy, but fine. He did not want to help at all, something even racist prick leading racist army did for everyone. Because that is what you do for Endbringer attack. My last wielder is dead because he lost my respect."

"Huh, neat." I quickly searched for a new topic to talk about, as this one came rapidly to an end. I could see Taylor and Lisa leaning against a railing some distance away from the coffee house, it didn't look like they were going to be done soon.

"So, that is all you do? Go around from worthy person to worthy person, sticking around until they die. Nothing else?" Brute shrugged dismissively. Oh, no. I'm not letting him off that easy. "Come on tough guy, there's got to be something. Maybe an old boss you want to egg the car of. A certain hero that is constantly a thorn in your side. You didn't seem like you like the Protectorate that much."

"Hmm, well there might be one thing." Brute paused and thought about it. "There is a man I'm looking for. Older, unshaven, greying hair."

"Okay… Any particular reason for wanting to find him?"

"He caused my trigger event."

His trigger event, that was a conversation gold mine. But how to approach it?

"Your trigger? Can I ask…" Brute frowned, but he was always frowning so it was hard to get a read on him.

"Government has nasty business trying to understand trigger events. Sometimes they take people and try to force them to trigger, sometimes the person volunteers, I didn't." I elected to stay silent on that, see if he would continue.

"The man's job was to torture me and others night after night, see if we could trigger within the week. I and very few others did." Brute took a deep breath and sighed. "Only the man died during a riot staged by me and my best friend."

"Kind of hard to find a dead man isn't it?"

"No, when he died his mind moved into my best friend's mind. It drove my friend mad and he eventually killed himself, causing the man to move to someone else. I chased him down for a time, but he disappeared before long." Brute looked out the window and saw Lisa and Taylor making their way back towards us.

"I don't know what I would do if I found him. I can't kill him, but I would feel better knowing he was where I could see him." Taylor and Lisa entered the coffee shop and found spots next to us.

"We have a job," Lisa said cheerfully. I grinned knowing what comes next.

"So I finally get to be a supervillain? Name and all?" Lisa sighed.

"Yeah, name and all." Taylor look between me and her for a moment before asking,

"What name?" I flashed my grin at her.

"Tsundere."

My costume wasn't that special in general terms, it was how it stood out that made it interesting. It was a kimono styled slightly different so it didn't trip me up when trying to move. The fabric was a dark purple that looked black in the night. The red sash the wrapped around my waist and stomach was packed with shuriken, my power apparently giving them the ability to cut through most things.

I have found dozens of uses for my power, making me almost more versatile than Skitter. The first thing I found as that my power takes hours to wear off, so my shuriken keep their unnatural sharpness even after leaving my area of effect.

Secondly, after spending hour agonizing on a mask that would look even remotely cool enough, I found that with the proper application of my power I could change my appearance so drastically that not only was unrecognizable, but I also looked like an anime character. I even got these absolutely massive eyes that make my field of vision five times larger than it would have been.

I can affect my friends too. A few test runs and it turns out that I can make pretty much anyone who stays in my bubble capable of flying through walls and able to move and jump with incredible agility. Only it took about ten minutes for the effect to become that powerful. I think the longer I pushed it the more dramatic things would become, but for the moment the most I have tested was ten minutes, and that started making all the object around look a bit more cartoony, my friends became more durable, and I began looking like an anime character.

Best. Power. Ever.

I think my favourite part was the two bokken and two katanas strapped to each side for symmetry. I didn't have a lot of sword training or practice with shurikens for that matter, but I moved like an anime character, so it only made sense I could fight like one too.

Which only made the fact that my first real enemy could turn herself into a ghost a little more than irritating. Like, I went through all this trouble to defy how the universe works and still look awesome and you become something I can't even hit? How dare you!

"Hey Tats?" I asked.

"I told you my name is Tattletale." She responded. I smiled.

"Okay, hey Tattle?" She sighed.

"Next time she enters my range, can I try something." My hand stroked the handle of the katana on my right side in anticipation. Tattletale glanced down a for a moment, probably just long enough to begin working her power on me. It was really getting annoying, her doing that. Not that I cared too much about my privacy, but what if I wanted to get the drop on someone? She would make it really hard to surprise her.

Suddenly it clicked in my head. That should be my goal, get things to the point where I could throw her a surprise party. It might be difficult, I wouldn't be able to use any misdirection at all. It would have to fit into some gap in a normal schedule, and everything I got for the party I would have to get through other means, but yes. This was doable, I was sure of it.

"Wait until Bitches dogs make their third pass then you can," she finally told me. I punched a fist into the air and as loudly as I dared said,

"Sweet!" I got shushed anyway. I stuck my tongue out at her and crep forward keeping out of sight as possible. I could feel Shadow Stalker and Skitter entered my range before I got too close. I waited until they were a good ten feet into my general range before and found a good hiding spot to stay in. From where I was I could see Grue beginning to coat the area in darkness. I could feel Imp trying to catch me from behind. I couldn't feel her in my range as I feel the others, instead, I felt her feet lightly hitting the ground as she stalked toward me. I resisted the urge to react to her in any way. It was one of the more fun things I did, making her believe I couldn't tell she was coming and then acting all surprised when she 'got me'. I've been saving up the big reveal for a while now, just waiting for the right moment to surprise her. It had to be with a wide enough audience, for the greatest effect.

She pressed two fingers in the soft part of my body between my ribs and hips and felt a literal shockwave move through me. A cartoonish ripple that moved from the spot where she pressed on my sides going from head to toe. And when it finished travelling I reacted by jumping up and then rolling across the ground because that still hurt like a motherfucker.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," I moaned every second I rolled. Suddenly I felt Bitch's dogs making passes and immediately got to my feet as if nothing happened. Imp was probably grinning behind her mask, but I needed to focus. I took out my katana and let the shining blade flash in the moonlight. I could sense Shadow Stalker's shadow form even better. Normally people entering my range were only shadows compared to the detail in everything else. But ironically when she became an actual shadow I could see her almost perfect. Including her costume and the face beneath it.

I stepped out into the open and waited for the third pass of Bitches dogs. The moment it came I flicked my katana out in front of me in two distinct slashes.

Apparently, my power knew exactly what I wanted and gave me the perfect X-shaped projectiles. The tip of my katana drew two white arcs in front of me that immediately flew forward and intersected Shadow Stalker's form. She collapsed to the ground an instant later.

Feeling a bit smug with that display I twirled around the katana and slid it back into its sheath. The darkness dissipated and the others began to circle around Shadow Stalker. Brute stepped up behind me from where he was told to hide, a cigar dangling from his mouth. They were talking to Shadow Stalker now, but I had to do something first. I had seen her face, and I knew her.

I walked right past Skitter and kicked Shadow Stalker onto the ground swiftly before planting my foot on her shoulder. I could feel Skitter coming towards me to pull me off when I said,

"Sophia Hess." Skitter froze in her tracks. I would too if the roles were reversed. Sophia was absolutely hated by anyone who didn't love her back at school. And by extension I assume that girl who always hung out with her, Emma I think, was very likely also a bitch. I was among the crowd that hated her. She never really did anything directly to me, but I hated her more on principle.

"So how did someone as lowly as a school bully manage to get powers. Was mommy a little too tough on the precious little baby?" It was mean and condescending, but damn if this bitch didn't deserve it! Every day I would go to school and see her and her lackey and immediately fell a pinch of anger. She never approached me, probably because she knew I was liable to punch her in her overly pretty face. Somehow that made it worse, she only bullied people that either wouldn't react or would react weakly. I only saw a few people she got though after awhile she stopped chasing a lot of them and refined her attacks on someone. I never did find out who.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, Brute, and let myself get pulled away. It was Skitter that walked forward next, Regent's staff in her hand. She said something to Shadow Stalker before she tazed her. With that done I clapped my hands together and said,

"Alright, let's go break into the PRT headquarters." Everyone's head turned towards me. "What? Did I do something wrong?"


	4. Learner's Permit

Tenant had a yo-yo instead of a cane this time. Skitter watched him silently do tricks as the PRT containment van drove them closer and closer toward what would become a progressively more impossible situation. She knew it wasn't going to work, it was just a question of when and where. The closer they could get to their goal the better chance they stood of succeeding in their goal and getting out again.

"Fifty-seven percent chance Regent screws up in the first five minutes." Tenant said.

'What?' Skitter thought at him.

"You were thinking about the particular moment of our initial failure. So I rerouted portions of your brain to other tasks and used the freed processing power to start crunching some numbers and scenarios until I got that number for you." Tenant paused. "And judging by how I just lost some influence over you, I'm not winning any favours."

'Then maybe you should stop messing with my mind without asking me first.' Tenant rolled his eyes.

"Don't be stupid. I'm not going to do any serious harm, I'm not even sure I can. Call it a special case of the Manton effect, there are just somethings in the brain I can't stop or change. I'm stuck with you just as much as you're stuck with me." She didn't like him most of the time, he never really consulted her on anything he did. But he was becoming invaluable. He already extended her range about two more blocks and her already impressive multitasking abilities were almost unbelievable now. Not to mention he can keep track of Imp, block Regent's power, and had a perfect memory to refer back to whenever she needed it. And yet she knew that there was still massive untouched potential that her own feelings for him was preventing them from reaching. She thought back to when he had first introduced himself. He said that he would be limited by both how she liked him as a person and in what he did to her mind.

While she wasn't a fan of either, it was hard to deny the power he brought to the table when fights like the one soon to come were about to happen.

"Oh?" Tenant asked with a raised eyebrow. "I just felt a little more ground give way and a slight loss after I pointed that out, but a net gain no less." Tenant cocked his head to the side for a moment. "Well, that is interesting."

'Find something new again?' Skitter asked him. Tenant nodded.

"Always interesting, I forget most of my abilities when I move to a new host, and then later I remember and rediscover them all at the same time. Quite the interesting feeling. But you don't care about that." Tenant grabbed his yo-yo and sat straight up, only to lean forward so as to give Skitter his full attention.

"You are that bothered by me as a person, not as good as liking me, but much better than disliking. At best I annoy you. In terms of what my power does; you're a little on edge about it, it bothers you to some large degree, particularly every time I tell you about it, but you're mostly okay with it. That makes you a lot better than most people I have paired up with. Just some unhealthy protectiveness people have with their own minds, I guess.

"But my point is that, while far from perfect, we fit well enough together that I think I can pull off a few tricks I rarely get to use."

'And those are?'

"First and foremost, understand that I am a living conscious. I might not have a body anymore, but I still remember how to breathe and pump blood. Essentially, I can rewrite certain portions of your mind to do other things while I take over all your breathing and other involuntary reflexes." Tenant frowned. "Oh well, I can see you're not too keen on that idea. Well, this next one is a bit better. If I stop everything else I'm doing, upping your power range, your multitasking capacity, hormonal balances to keep you calm, and a dozen other things I am managing in the back, if I stop all that I can slow your perception of time down to the point where a bullet will move at speeds relative to a baseball." Tenant paused and thought. Skitter felt a twinge of annoyance that he could apparently hear all of her thoughts but she couldn't hear his.

"Let's see... you once read a bullet could move at two thousand five hundred mph and about six months ago you read that a baseball in major league game averaged about a hundred mph. So, about twenty-five times slower, give our take." Immediately the possibilities quickly began to flood her mind, the speed at which they came was probably on Tenant as well. Quickly, Skitter addressed each and every idea and kept mostly likely to be useful ones nearby in her mind space. Tenant had helpped with that too. One restless night on an uncomfortable cot and together he had made her mind feel more three dimensional, as if it were a complex building that she could teleport through to find and file everything they needed.

He was just as comforting as he was an annoyance. Even in the lonely shelter where she knew no one he was there beside her. Either ready to talk to her or just staying within her sight. One nice thing was that he always seemed to know when he should and shouldn't talk. Whether that was an intuitive thing he had learned from her mind or just something he was good at, she didn't know.

"You're doing it again." Tenant reminded her.

'Doing what?'

"Wondering if I am making you a different person by my mere presence or otherwise. What is interesting about you is that you don't care so much that I mess with your brain, you care that I might mess with that integral part that is you. And that seems to be what holds you back, always asking yourself if you're different because of me."

'Only because you haven't answered the question before.' Tenant sighed.

"To be honest? I don't really know. They say 'you are you, plus your circumstances' and I am a pretty big circumstance. I don't think my existence changes who you are, but the fact that you see me all the time, talk with me constantly, and just generally recognize that I'm here, that might be changing you in small ways. Nothing noticeable, nothing talking with anyone of your friends for an extended period wouldn't do.

"But I'm not just doing that, I'm also unloading load of information into your mind. You take it much better than others have, no doubt because of your pre-existing power, but that is still a lot of information to be receiving."

'So? Do you think I'm still me?' Tenant looked her over for a moment and gave a weak laugh.

"Of course you're you. Nothing I do will stop you from being you, I just have to wonder if your an entirely different you than you would have been if the Leviathan hadn't killed my last host. And another thing they say, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Which makes you wonder; does every time you gain power corrupt you just a little bit more, or is it the changes in a person as a reaction to their circumstances being misconstrued as corruption in those that were given massive power as part of their circumstance?" Tenant shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I ramble. I think I may have started out a philosophy professor before I died. I hope I answered you question because it looks like we're out of time."

'No, you didn't really.' Skitter thought as the doors to the vans opened and they began pulling Regent, Grue, Bitch, Tattletale, Imp, herself, and Tsundere from the inside of the vehicle.

"Ah well, a shame. But now we get to see what it is like in a fight now, and that ought to be a little fun right?"

Thanks to Tenant Skitter was able to both not focus and focus on the events going around her. She was aware of the conversation that led up to Weld alerting everyone that this was a trap, even tensed at particular moments were Reagent narrow dodged a bullet in conversation. But she was able to keep her real focus on Tenant up until that moment. Like she had two minds, each equally capable yet with one taking more prominence. However when Weld did catch on the two minds slid into each other to form one hyper aware consciousness within her.

The moment the shoe dropped Tsundere was a leaping into motion. Bitch, Grue, and Regent all made a move to take out the PRT uniforms closest to them, but Tsundere got them first. Her hands were a literal blur of motion as she threw a few dozen shuriken over the span of a few seconds. They found their way into shoulders, legs, and arms. Her ability apparently giving her the skill to throw them with some degree of accuracy. Flechette, Clockblocker, and Vista all hit the ground before the rest of them had time to blink. A few shurikens struck Weld, only to be absorbed into his body. Kid Win dove to the side immediately, his costume absorbing the shuriken for him.

However nine hundred and seventy bugs sweep out from underneath Skitter's costume and the caspian bugs crawled over Kid Win's face.

"It burns!" he cried as he tried to shield his face. Suddenly the swarm Tenant had helped her gather began pouring through doors and windows of the building. She immediately surrounded Weld, Clockblocker, and Vista. She couldn't do much against Weld's metal skin, but she could block his vision along with making sure Vista couldn't see to put her warping effects in place. Every time Clockblocker attempted to move she ordered her bugs to sting and bite the part of his costume were the shuriken cut through the fabric.

Skitter felt Tattletale lifting a foam sprayer at the swarm and immediately made a clear path for the first person Tattletale targeted. Flechette screamed from the caspian bugs that were now away from her face before the foam muffled her. Weld was coated in the foam next, but he was making it difficult by refusing to maintain shape. Suddenly, Regent had Shadow Stalker stick two bolts in each eye before they solidified. Weld began attempting to claw them out, giving them just enough time to coat him thoroughly in the foam. It wasn't difficult after that. Grue coated the remaining Wards in darkness until Tattletale and Imp could coat them in the foam.

They all paused before working towards their next objective. It couldn't have gone better without a single on of them getting taken out of action, but the worst part had yet to come.

"Tsundere," Tattletale said to her. "This area is going to be our best way out, from here to that gift shop. Start working your power on it. Imp and Shadow Stalker can back you up.

"Sounds like fun," Tsundere said with a goofy grin as she moved into position. Immediately the walls and glass around her began to grow smoother, more cartoon like. It would be a few minutes before it had any meaningful effect, but by the time they got the data they should be ready for a fight.

"Skitter?" Tenant asked with a bored tone.

'What is it?'

"How well do you think anime powers are going to work against Dragon when she shows up?"

'What? Dragon?' Tenant rolled his eyes.

"Oops, spoiler alert. But yeah, you're about to have a bad time.


	5. Walking with the best of them

"Aw fuck all kinds of duck," I said as Dragon's craft landed outside and immediately began filling the lobby with containment foam. Shadow Stalker turned into her shadow form and Imp disappeared, leaving me essentially alone. Asshats.

I was pretty sure I could have cut through that foam if I had my katanas, but we have left those behind for our 'arrest'. For the time being I was left with a handful shurikens. I felt my power make a few more, but I haven't had long enough time to make them seem infinite yet.

I could feel the Dragon suit within my range and began noting details about it. I could feel around inside of it too, feeling around all the components as my power started affecting it. I found some sort of life form piloting the craft, but I couldn't tell what it was but I knew it was human. I let my power press down on it for the moment, I still had no idea what it did to people I classified as my enemies but it was going to be something.

I wasn't a computer expert or anything, but a gun was a gun and this ship was packing a metric fuck-ton. Yet it wasn't using them. Hmm, curious. Based on what I was sensing it could tear the inside of this place apart, yet it was holding back. A restriction by the pilot's superiors? Was that Dragon herself inside or was that some person warped by their power? Either way, it didn't seem to have a lot of non-lethal weaponry, which is what it was limiting itself to. It was an advantage for me.

I dove out of cover, three shurikens in hand and gave them a throw. I wasn't that skilled in throwing them, but my power seemed to give me what I needed. The six pointed ninja star sank into one of the suit's turrets, causing foam to open expanded over the mech. I counted it as a win even though the other two stars glanced harmlessly off Dragon's suit.

I swore as a glop of foam got my leg and I stumbled behind cover. When I looked back the suit was releasing a vapor that was causing the foam to melt away off her. I swore again, my stars can't do anything against her normal armour and the damage I did to her gun almost didn't matter.

The suits mouth opened and suddenly began spraying some sort of flaming liquid across the lobby. I felt Imp's feet pound the ground as she dodged for cover from the flames. She made her way next to me behind a wall.

"Damn it, how can she do that?" Was her first words when she reappeared.

"She is using cameras to see from within the suit, along with other things I don't know about," Imp swore again. Suddenly I grinned.

"You have that look again," Imp said. I raised an eyebrow.

"What look?"

"The one you get every time you get an awesome idea."

"Wow, you guys must see that face all the time." She and I grinned at each other for a moment before I held up six shurikens in between the spaces between my fingers and said, "Watch this."

I dashed out from the hiding space and leapt into the air, my power letting my sail up until I nearly touch the ceiling. I twisted my body and shouted,

"Holy Shuriken Strike!" All of the sudden the world went so dark it was almost black. Grue? No, this was my power reacting to my shout. I grinned like a mad man as I threw all six shurikens with an impressive body spin. Each star spiral outward in an arc, leaving behind a white trail behind them as the converged on the Dragon suit and punching all the way through it. I landed with a roll and moved to cover, suddenly aware of the rest of The Undersiders joining us.

Six holes the size of baseballs now dotted the suit's body. I don't know if I could do it again, and I'm not sure I want to try. I only had two shurikens left and with my luck it would need a full six to activate the power. I saw Grue do his thing and coat Dragon with darkness to keep her from advancing any further. Which was good because the foam was getting uncomfortable close

"Run through the gift shop, I'll meet you outside!" Grue shouted. I stood up to bolt when I felt someone new move into my power. I heard metal tearing before I even realized who it was.

Grue was banishing the darkness before Brute was done ripping his way through the mech suit. Bitch's dogs right behind him tearing at limbs they could get their claws and mouth on. Electricity leapt to them the moment the touch Dragon's suit and they leapt backwards with various howls of pain. Bitch whistled and motioned her hand, calling the dogs to her. She only lost Judas during the fight with Leviathan, which gave her plenty of trained dogs to use here. All the same, there were two smaller dogs to replace him and the one that was too injured to fight anymore.

Brute didn't seem to care about the electricity burning his arms as he continued to crush and tear the suit apart with his fists. His Russian themed suit was taking a beating, but it was managing to hold together much better than it would have if it was outside of my power.

"Run, run, run!" Grue shouted at me. Right, running. Almost forgot. Although I had always wondered what being electrocuted felt like. And there would be no safer time than now as the machine told specifically not to kill was preoccupied with the heavy hitter on our team. If I could just get close enough to touch as I ran by...

I was distracted as I saw Bitch attempt to shove Skitter into the foam in my vision. I was suddenly aware everyone else was outside of the building except for me and these two. I moved forward to help her, Bitch and I were going to have problems after this. But suddenly I saw Skitter react with faster reflexes than I gave her credit for.

She took a well placed step as Bitch shoved her, as if she saw the move coming, and grabbed Bitch just right to spin her around. In the blink of an eye, Skitter was holding the much heavier Bitch face first just over the foam. That was far more coordination than I had ever seen her move with. Had she been taking lessons or something?

After a moment she let Bitch go, pulling her back to avoid falling into the foam and without another word they ran out of the building. Then it was just me and Imp hiding behind me with her power. I shook the scene out of my head and ran out of the building as fast as I could, which was pretty fast because of anime physics and all.

Skitter was better than me, I would have dropped Bitch into the foam for trying to do me in like that. But maybe she was feeling a little guilty over having almost-but-not-really betraying the team before. Weird people, but I don't think I'm in much a position to talk.

Which reminded me I didn't get a chance to electrocute myself. Damn it!

I suddenly found Assault and Battery in my range and swore. I quickly located the one dog Bitch had that was carrying my stuff. Bentley I think she said.

I grabbed my katanas and bokken. I decided to keep the katanas away for now. Battery could make electro magnetic charges, and I didn't want the metal blade getting caught up in that.

Smoke was pouring out of the building, making things hard to see. I raised a bokken and darted towards Battery. I saw Grue's darkness hit her in the face an momentarily blind her. Seeing my chance I raised the wooden sword and suddenly found Assault standing in my way. A swung my bokken at him, but he redirected it with a wave of his hand. I had the advantage of speed because of my power unleashed a barrage of swipes. Not a single one managed to hit.

I needed to find a new approach. Luckily I didn't need to think too hard as Brute came barreling through the smoke and started swinging at Assault. Immediately, Assault went on the defensive. Brute was fast even without my power making him faster every second he stayed within my effect. And while Assault was almost a perfect counter for him, it meant he couldn't afford to be distracted.

All the same I didn't want to get caught up in that so I went back to charging Battery. One of Bitch's dog steam rolled her as Grue drowned her in darkness. I raised my bokken and shouted, "Seismic Swing!" I entered Grue's darkness in the middle of the swing, but it hardly mattered as I was hyperaware of everything going on in my sphere of influence. The enhanced swing struck Battery in the stomach so hard it created a crater around her, shattering the ground. My power was probably the only thing the stopped her from turning into jelly from the strike. Although she probably felt every bit of pain that would have caused if I let the strike obliterate her soft insides.

I felt Assault moving towards me and Miss Militia entering the battlefield at the same time. Assault found himself trying to fight of Brute again and bugs started swarming Miss Militia. I turned towards Miss Militia, as she was where I was most likely to be helpful, but suddenly found myself no longer needed. One of Bitch's dogs barreled over her and knocked her to the ground. Imp moved behind Assault and hit him hard upside the head, he crumpled to the ground.

I immediately moved towards Tattletale the moment I was sure those two were out of action.

We were moving before I even got there, running to safety before more heros had a chance to show up. I could feel Skitter, Tattletale, Imp and Grue in my range and started exerting power outward from myself. We were going faster and faster every second. Because I had already spent almost twenty minutes of my power working at full effect, I was jumping off roof tops in the same fashion I saw Naruto characters jumped and ran through the trees.

We stopped sometime later to wait for the others. We might have needed to catch our breath in any other scenario, but my power had a ton of passive effects I'm still learning. The instant I felt Bitch, her dogs, Regent and Shadow Stalker enter my range I saw Skitter start forward.

I was mildly surprised when she hit Bitch and started straddling her while angrily saying things into her ear. I couldn't hear and didn't make any attempt to, this seemed like something that should stay between the main team. Brute apparently got the same feeling and moved to stand silently beside me.

I busied myself by reattaching my swords to my waist and replenishing my shuriken stash. I relaxed my influence on the world around me, drawing my power back into my body and allowing it to continue to work its magic on me. I felt a wave of weariness hit me the moment I relaxed my power. I briefly wondered if that was a side effect of my power, but dismissed it as something I would have to check later.

"Kinetic man was very annoying, yaes." Brute said bluntly. I shrugged.

"You got him in the end."

"Bah, horn girl stole final blow. I barely got enough of his strength to lift ball."

"But you got some of his durability too didn't you? That will make thing easier dealing with him in the future." Brute frowned.

"People can regain strength, and durability heals over time too. Healing though take many years. Bad for people I fight."

"You know speaking of which, how did you build up your strength? Clearly, you couldn't just jump in and start swinging at the strong capes immediately." Brute frowned and lifted a cigar to the gap around his mouth on his mask. His hands were completely healed from the electric shocks by now.

"Do not tell Skeeter. She would not like answer, yaes." Brute paused to take a breath from his cigar. "I bullied others for many a year. Picked fights, strong armed the weaklings around school. Vhen I turned eighteen year ago I pick fight with bodybuilder and win. I take so much of strength you could see muscles shrink. Later he sent his friends after me to avenge him or something like that. I was forced to kill one, becoming much more powerful. Ever since I trusted my wielders to build up my strength in constructive way. Is better than killing, yaes." So that made him about nineteen, two years older than me. Strange, if it wasn't for the abs I could almost picturing him being younger than me. Those flat, ridged, sexy abs. I- Wait, no. No, no, no, no, no. I will not think about Brute's abs. I will not. Focus. Find something else to say.

"Then-" I was cut off as Tattletale came up and told us where we were headed to. A grinned, more happy to have a chance to get that out of my mind than anything. So now all I had to do is walk straight into Coil's den and come back out without him ordering me killed. Fun.

I was having a good day. I got to use my powers in a really fight for the first time. That included me throwing shuriken through one of Dragon's suits, coming incredibly close to completely snapping Battery in half, and jumping across roof tops like a true anime character. I got time to chill in between, Imp and I had a hell of a time screwing with the other members. All and all, I was have the time of my life.

Which makes it all the more depression when you hear Coil's precog predict the end of the world in two years.

"If I were to send the Travellers? How likely would they be to kill him?" Coil asked Dinah. The little kid was absolutely pitiful to see. It almost hurt me just to look at her, so I looked anywhere but at her. I heard Skitter talk about her sometimes, but this was just sad. I got the feeling I wasn't about to start liking Coil anytime soon.

"My head hurts."

"Please, pet, this is important. To one decimal point."

"Twenty two point six percent. Thirty point nine percent chance some of them die."

"And The Undersiders?"

"Twenty two point seven percent. Forty one percent chance they die trying to fight them." Only a point of a percent difference between us and the Travelers? I haven't met them yet, but I liked to think we were at least cooler than them in terms of style.

"Can I ask her a question?" I asked. Everyone turned and looked at me for a moment. Why was everyone doing that? It seems like every time I open my mouth around the team someone looks at me like I just took off my shirt.

Coil turned and placed a hand on Dinah. "Is that alright, pet?" Slowly Dinah nodded her head.

"I think I can answer a few more." Coil turned to me and nodded. I took a step forward and kneeled down in front of Dinah. She would look so adorable if it wasn't for the bags under her eyes.

"Just out of curiosity, what are the chance of The Undersiders killing Jack if I die in say... the next five minutes?" I could feel people staring at me again, literally because I could sense their bodies move slightly after that question.

"Twenty point five percent." Well, that was reassuring, at least everyone now knows I'm at least useful. But to keep myself from looking like a complete ass I had to ask on someone else's behalf too. Let's see...

"What if it was Skitter, instead of me?" I could feel Coil moving forward to stop me from answering another question. That was fine, it would be easier to make it seem I was not completely selfish for wanting to know I was important.

"Eleven point nine percent chance they succeed." My blood went cold and I could sense everyone else freeze. Slowly I stood up and tried to fade into the background. Not so easy as the stupid anime physics made my body completely white to match my feelings. I let my power enter a resting state and saw my colour entering back into my hands, but also saw my depth of field shrink as my eye began returning back to normal. Trying to find a balance between the two states gave me something to focus on while the others talked things out.

After a few minutes of them discussing the implications of that, the conversation moved on to territory for everyone. Coil laid out a ground plan giving everyone but Imp, me, and Brute their own territory. Brute would of course follow Skitter, and Imp would hang out with her brother. Which just left me, the odd woman out as it were.

Who would I want to hang out with? I would be working for whoever it was I joined, but I could live with that. Just so long as they made it fun enough. Tattletale could use some power in her corner. I shivered at the thought. No, no more of that. Regent was fun, but kind of a prick. Maybe Bitch, I'm sure she could use some help running her territory, not sure she would want it though. And I wasn't completely convinced she wouldn't kill me in the first couple days. The left Grue and Skitter. I didn't really think too much for either of them. Grue was boring and Skitter was kind of on the fence whether or not she was accepted into the team. Imp was fun to hang out with, but I kind of like talking to Brute. He was simple, easy to understand, plus we are both newer members to the team than anyone else.

I shrugged and said, "I think I'll stay with Skitter for the time being, but I'll go around everyone's territory and see where I'm needed."

"I see," Coil answered. "Well, is there anything else before we part ways for the night?" No one said anything, so we began heading for the exit, with exception of Skitter who stayed behind to have a private conversation with Coil.

A little put out not being able to be more useful at the end of the conversation, I turned to follow Brute out. Hopefully I can find some more skulls to crack before the night is over.


	6. Getting On The Highway

Taylor woke up after a long and dreamless sleep. She almost felt like she was confused by the strange place she was waking up in before she recognized it as the headquarters, but the secondary consciousness Tenant was maintaining made sure she didn't make that very human mistake. She sighed and sat up, immediately seeing Tenant stretching like he had just woke up as well.

It had been a long night for the two of them, although Taylor wasn't sure Tenant would be affected by it all that much. He didn't ever seem to get tired, not even when she was and it was her mind he was living in.

They had moved into their new base of operation that Coil had provided them. The last two weeks they had been working together to make it a true super villain base. The second floor in particular.

She and Tenant had got a system together where she could extend a measure of trust to him when she was asleep. At midnight Tenant would snap his fingers and she would fall into a dreamless sleep, leaving him to control her power during that time. The next six hours Tenant spent working nonstop working with her bugs. Making sure the black widow spiders were constantly working in a cycle. Eating, silk producing, breeding. He couldn't manage it nearly as complexly as she did, stopping him from working on the costumes for everyone. But by morning she would have several yards of silk to start working with.

She was coming more and more to terms with him every day. The simple truth was that she was able to work with Rachel, which meant she could work with someone even as insulting as Tenant got to be. And his power was more and more useful every step they took, resulting in him having a bit more influence when she wanted it. The increased influence made him even more useful, compounding the factor.

Her reading speed was getting to the point she only had to glance at the page and with the increased retention he gave her she could memorize it in that instance. That resulted in almost every night getting spent pouring over books. In the last two weeks, she had learned more about guns, swordplay, martial arts, knife fighting, cold reading a person's reactions, clothing design, negotiation skills, and acting than she had learned in her entire life time.

But it didn't all click. She could memorize it all, but it was more or less like knowing how to play every single note on the piano perfectly. She could read the sheet music, memorize, know how each note is meant to sound, but she was missing that fundamental component that let her string it all together into a comprehensible song.

But even that was getting handled slowly. The more she practiced with her knife and making the costumes the closer the notes sounded like the song the were meant to be. It was still slow learning, but exponentially faster than anyone besides Thinkers could learn.

Her collection of books was growing rapidly. She preemptively asked Coil for three massive black bookcases, and one was already full. They were slowly getting filled with skill books of all sorts. Things were getting to the point where a majority of everything she knew could be found on those shelves And while she held an almost perfect retention of everything in those shelves, Tenant could access her memories and recited word for word every last thing on any page you picked. It was like perfect memory with a middleman in between each detail.

"All ready?" He asked lazily. Today he had his cane back and was twirling it idly.

"Almost," Taylor said aloud. She didn't need to speak to him using her voice, but it felt more natural doing so. "I'd like to try it again this morning." Tenant nodded rose from where he had been sitting. He turned and looked at her, leaning on his cane. He waited until she was ready, which of course he simply knew without any confirmation from her.

Between her two consciousness, two different tasks were accomplished. There was the primary mind, the one that talked to and interpreted everything Tenant did. The second one was in charge of paying attention to the world around her, maintained conversation and preformed the tasks she needed to do. It was a lot like the AI Dragon had built for the armbands and what Tenant suspected to pilot her suits. When the task at hand required a bit more of her focus she would switch the roles, that usually meant during a fight were Tenant fell more or less silent to focus on making it all work.

However now Tenant was prompting the growth of a third mind to join her. This one would be even simpler than the AI-like mind. The hope was that it would keep important information like martial art styles she had memorized at the fore, just in reach whenever she needed it until it became second nature. Tenant said that once she had a good handle on it all the third mind could work like Armsmaster's predictive computer. It would use her frame of reference to generate a detailed outline of what she might expect to happen in the next few seconds. Incredibly useful when fighting fast opponents and avoiding projectiles.

But just as the third mind was approaching its climax and becoming established she felt it pop like a bubble. The exact result she had felt a dozen times. Tenant let out a tired sigh.

"What happened this time?" She asked. Tenant rolled his eyes.

"You're annoying human emotions got in the way again. Your brain is taxed to capacity until you give me more room. Of course, I could make the room for a third mind and even a fourth if you just let me-"

"No," She said sharply. He was talking about taking control of her involuntary reflexes again. She couldn't let him do that. She couldn't quite explain why, but it felt like going too far. Like he was breaking some taboo by suggesting it. Tenant sighed again.

"Stupid, but whatever you want I suppose." Tenant paused. "All ready for doing the plan today?" Taylor nodded. Everyone on The Undersiders and The Travelers would be making bids for territory today. And she and Tenant had finished setting up for it last night making their plan.

"Do you think it will work." Tenant snorted dismissively.

"Of course it will work, people are idiots." Taylor nodded. She didn't completely agree, but she knew what he meant.

Taylor slipped into her costume and became Skitter before slipping down stairs onto the second floor. Brute was leaning against a wall watching Riza practice with her shuriken against a dummy they had set up away from the terrariums. She was back in her black crop top that said 'Badass' on the front. Apparently, she had a lot of those.

She was throwing the stars without her power to guide her. And her aim was getting uncanny. Skitter watched silently as she flicked her wrist three times and each time a razor sharp star went flying out, each one striking roughly the same place on the dummy. Of course things would be different in a combat situation, but she could rely on her power to fill in the gap.

Riza smiled when she say Skitter watching. And lowered her hand and flicked the stars that were in her in hand lightly in the air before catching them and hiding them in between her breasts. Skitter's eye twitched at that.

"You're staring again." Tenant commented with a slightly amused tone.

'She is lucky enough to have those and she is shoving sharp objections in them like they are glorified storage containers.' Skitter thought at him defensively. Tenant sarcastically pretended to look baffled at the way she said that, then paused for a moment.

"Actually, I've been thinking on that. I-"

'I bet you have.' Tenant acted offended for a moment.

"What I was going to say was that you should make your identity harder to discern by putting in fake breasts in your custom." Skitter was about to retort to that when she realized that it wasn't that bad of an idea. She was sixteen, it wouldn't be hard for the local capes to assume that the growth was because she was a late bloomer. The real issue would be dealing with Alec, Imp, and probably Riza. Tattletale would probably have a few comments on it too, but she could deal with that at another time.

"That is going to be one interesting call to Coil." Tenant mused. "Hello? Yeah, can I get a pair of B or C cup silicone breasts? I assure you that it is of the utmost importance." Skitter decided to ignore that for the moment and turned her attention to Riza and Brute.

"Are you ready for the job today?" Brute nodded seriously from where he stood.

"Well, thing is," Riza began, "I can help you and all, but Tattle wanted me and Imp to help her knock some heads in her own territory. I can stay if you want but..."

'But Imp is more fun.' Skitter finished in her head. Tenant shrugged.

"We don't need her for the tone you're going to want to set. I say dump her of for Tattletale to babysit." Skitter nodded in agreement, although it would look like confirmation to Riza.

"Alright," Skitter told her, "But do exactly what Tattletale says or I'll put another spider in your bed." Riza paled a little.

"Right," Riza said with a slightly forced cheerful tone. "But before I go, Brute picked a name." Skitter raised an eyebrow.

"You picked a civilian name?" Brute grunted. "What did you pick?"

"Stravik." Skitter nodded.

"Good, then let's get loaded up." Stravik nodded and moved away from the wall. He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair before walking toward the door.

The first part of the plan was simple. Gather a massive black cloud over the centre of her territory. With Tenant increasing her range to five blocks, Skitter grabbed every last bug in her territory, which now included her house. She was uncertain about making him part of the territory, but Tenant assured her it wouldn't be a problem after they changed her costume a bit more. For now, she just didn't invite that section of the territory.

People were already beginning to show as her bugs urged them from all over her soon to be territory. Her bugs finding them and directing them in one direction, the centre of the swarm. The cloud was rotating rapidly clockwise in the air over the area they had decided on, enough to cast a shadow without completely blocking out the sun. Slowly, Skitter and the others approached with a much thicker swarm of bugs coating them, shielding them from view as they passed.

People had gathered in a largely open area, waiting to see what was going to happen and unable to leave as her bug created a way behind them that only let people enter. Skitter took a small breath and told Brute to step forward.

Brute was carrying a large platform with ten supply crates, the dozen of Coil's men, and herself, all held above his head in an impressive display as he stepped through the mass of bugs like a ship breaking through a wave. People instinctively moved backwards, but the bugs stopped them from going anywhere.

Brute sat the platform down in the street, the platform doubled for showmanship and keeping the crates out of the water. Skitter rose, standing above everyone else on a box as Coil's men began opening boxes.

"Some of you know me!" Skitter called over the crowd. "You may call me Skitter, and you are now all part of my territory. But rest assured, I am not the ABB! I am not the Merchants, The Empire or The Chosen. These groups will no longer be allowed operate in this area." Tenant had located Battery in the crowd and Skitter paid a little more attention in her direction.

"I have come to act in your interests, so rest assured that you will be protected completely free of all payment you may have been asked for from aforementioned gangs for the same treatment." Skitter waved a hand at the supply crates behind her, and clumps of bugs she had hanging around cleared out of the way for more a visual effect to the movement. "Every family is welcome to some supplies I have here. Food rations, water filters, first aid, anything you might need in the coming weeks during reconstruction. If your family is large enough you may have two." Skitter paused and looked out over the crowd.

"I don't want anything from you accept your corporation. Do not assist other gangs, do not sell drugs, do not steal, do not hurt others. If you do I will know." She gathered a cloud of bugs around her hands and held them up for everyone to see. "I have millions of eyes to watch you from. Play nice and you get to sleep without worrying of bugs biting you in your sleep or tainting your food. Do not and you learn just how fast my army ants can strip flesh from your bones.

"With that said, I thank you for listening. You are welcome to come forward and take some supplies, but if you want more, if your want a better place to stay for you and your family, if you want pay, come work for me. You don't need to do anything criminal, pass messages, help with the rebuilding, distribute supplies out to others, there are a number of things you can do to help the other people in the territory. If this interests you, talk to Brute, the man in the Russian clothing." With that speech done, Skitter raised her hand in the air in a completely unnecessary motion that made it look like she was dispersing all the bugs. The cloud above her cleared an open space in the sky so the bugs were moving a halo around the area, barely visible from where they were.

The first man stepped forward. His wife and kids behind him. The parents didn't meet her eyes and the children hid behind their mother who look like she had a cold. When the father accepted the box one of Coil's men handed to him. The family began moving away, but for a moment the father met her eyes. He nodded once then turned away, a crush of bodies surging forward directly after him as they found a bit more courage after seeing him coming out unscathed.

Skitter and Tenant made sure they would have more than enough. It would be better for come out with more than needed than less. It would also serve to show how well off they were.

Things were going well until she heard shouting. The crowd parted around a man flanked on either side by a group of other men with him. He was holding a rusty knife and seemed to be enjoying the reaction of everyone around him. The scruff of beard on the chin of the lead man was white, but it seemed rather premature given his apparent age. He was shirtless, with a long sleeve shirt tied around his waist, and scratches crisscrossing his upper body. His buddies stood back, smirking and grinning.

"See?" Tenant said, "People are idiots." Skitter silently agreed with him on this one, it was incredibly stupid to attempt this right in front of her, and that ignoring the fact that he had to have seen Brute carry them in.

"You there." Skitter said, stalking forward slowly. "Do you think that crude knife of your makes you tough? That it make you strong and important?"

"Fuck you! I'm not scared of bugs." Skitter stopped and tilted her head slightly. They were now only two yards apart now, people watching intently to see what would happen.

"Would you like to be?" Skitter asked, she held her hand out to the side and four tendrils formed out of the halo of bugs in the sky. They each arced downward, depositing a mass of bugs in her hand. "Because if you plan on threating my people, then you better be ready to face me."

"I'm not scared of you!"

"Then prove it, use that knife on me. Or are all of the Merchants just as cowardly as Skidmark?" The man's eyes widened a little bit more as Skitter labeled him. He lifted his knife as if he was going to attack, but didn't follow through.

"What is the problem? Weren't you tough just a minute ago when you were threatening unarmed people? Is all it takes is a few flies to over power you? Are you that much of a weak bully?" The man launched forward and attempted to thrust the knife in her side. She felt Tenant slowing time slightly around her, just enough to notice. She waited for him to get within arms reach of the knife before spring into action.

Tenant only slowed her perception of time, not speed up her body to accommodate it. She watched her body move slightly slower as she grabbed his wrist. The moment she had the grip and stance she wanted she silently told Tenant to release the time effect.

But in real time she twisted his arm and pulled him forward, forcing him to drop the knife. A quick flash of her elbow and she broke his arm where she twisted it before shoving him back and letting caspian bugs flow from underneath her armour and over his face. Causing him to scream and cry as he tried to put out the burning feeling in the water without lying on his broken arm.

Battery was suddenly there in front of her a second after Skitter had picked up the knife the man had dropped.

"I can't let you do that." She said.

"Wasn't planning to," Skitter said dismissively. She gently tossed the knife towards her. Battery dispersed her power and caught it by the handle. Skitter looked her over for a moment. "But just out of curiosity, what do you think you could have done to stop me if I wanted to?" Through her bugs she could feel Brute moving towards her with a small following of people behind him. Battery looked at her then at Brute before answering.

"I would have tried to stop you, whether I thought I could win or not. That's what it means to be a hero." Suddenly Tenant moved forward and glared at Battery.

"Skitter," he started, "Let me have the reins on this conversation."

'Are you sure?'

"Yes." Skitter moved into a mindset that would let her repeat everything Tenant said as he said it. Not giving him any measure of control, but enough that he might as well have been speaking himself.

"Do you want to know the real difference between a hero and a villain, Battery? Villains are more honest."

"What? Your kind lies, cheats, and steals their way through life and you claim to be more honest?"

"Sure, we lie to others," they said in stride, "But unlike heros, there is one thing we almost never do; lie to ourselves." They observed Battery tense in a way that suggested they hit a nerve of some sort.

'Someone she knows?' Skitter asked.

'Or someone she likes,' Tenant answered.

"You see," they continued as if nothing had happened, "We know what we are, and we know what we have to do. But heroes can be the most honest person to others, but they will always lie to themselves to convince themselves that they are happy the way things are." Their head tilted. "But you already knew that, didn't you? Someone you know is like that, aren't they? Maybe you have been seeing it, maybe you didn't want to believe it. But the reality is, this person you know is a villain at heart because of lack that self-delusion you and every other hero around you has." Tenant relaxed and slid into the background again, actually looking worn out from the effort of the effect.

Battery stared at them for a long moment, not saying anything or moving at all. Suddenly her power swelled and she darted away, disappearing from sight around a building. But with her bugs, Skitter could tell she was beginning to stumble before she got far after that.

Skitter and Tenant returned to the crates and began silently observing the remaining people going through. Brute had about twenty men and a few woman signing on with him. Most looked like previous ABB members. They had counted on that. It would be better to have everyone doing no criminal work, but it didn't hurt to have experienced gang members on hand in case something requiring a more villain element to deal with.

'I don't approve of what you did.' Skitter said.

"But you wouldn't change it either." He answered uncaringly. "Whether you liked it or not, it was effective." Skitter was about to say something in response when a girl walked up to her, trying to get her attention without being overt. She had red hair that was tied into deadlocks she had probably been growing for years, covered partially with a colourful bandana. She was pale and wide-eyed, fidgeting back and forth. Nervous, Skitter observed.

"You got a box, is there something else?" She nearly jumped.

"You said you would protect us, and you took down that Merchant man a few minutes ago. Does that mean you'll fight them?" Skitter nodded, not sure where this was going.

"My kid brother. I- he needs help. My parents are sick and they're in the hospital and I can't tell them because I told them I'd take care of him, um, and I asked the cops but they're so busy and there's no way they can help, and I was going to ask that hero, Battery, but then she disappeared so fast and I- I just- I-" She was beginning to choke up and her words were becoming less and less intelligible the more she spoke. She began shaking again.

"Stop, take a breath, and when you're ready, tell me what it is you want to tell me." She looked up and swallowed.

"The Merchants took my kid brother. I want you to get him back. Please." Skitter heard Tenant sighing behind her.

"I get the feeling you're annoying sense of goodwill is going to get us dragged into something we should probably stay out of but you're going to do anyway, because you're you." Another sigh. "Oh well, it'll be interesting at least."


	7. Tripping

I had two weeks to train and hang out until everyone had decided to claim their territories. Not that I didn't appreciate the exercise, but I had told myself I would deal with the fact that I could never go back to my old life during the break.

I was always aware of it. It lingered in the back of my mind where it had been since I triggered. I had chosen to focus on the path ahead of me to avoid it. Following Skitter to help Armsmaster, joining the Undersiders when I got the chance, training with me new power and weapons, hanging out with Aisha, whatever kept me busy. But I couldn't keep it out of my mind, not forever.

I sighed and looked up at the ruined buildings along the Boardwalk. It sucked. It all just sucked. One moment I'm helping my mother bake the cupcakes for the day's sales in the bakery. I think she wanted me to take the shop over one day, but then the sirens went off signalling the Endbringer on route to our location.

My mother, meticulous as ever insisted we shut off every light, stove, and unplug everything except the freezers and refrigerators. My father burst through the door shouting at us to get our stuff together and my little sister had burst into tears. My mother had told us to grab the things I packed and my little sister and head outside while she and my father locking everything down and got done yelling at each other.

I remember how my eyes widened as the Leviathan stepped on the small bakery. We had taken too long and the Leviathan moved too fast. I remember my five old little sister holding on tight to my finger as the building collapsed. Then a wave of water hit us and we got separated.

I stood up as soon as I was able and started looked for Miza among the water. I found her collapsed and coughing up water some twenty or thirty feet away. I picked her up and clutched her against my shoulder. I think it was at that moment I realized how fragile she was. She was so light even when soaked with water. It was terrifying. She coughed against my shoulder weakly. I looked up and saw the Leviathan looming above. I swallowed as I saw the hero's buzzing around it like flies, striking it left and right with impressive effects. I increased my grip on Miza and started running.

I couldn't remember how I got there, but eventually I found myself in the carport I would soon trigger in. I thought I was getting as far away from the Leviathan as fast as I could, but I suddenly found it just outside the carport. Its tail clipped the side of the building. I didn't see what happened in the mess of rock but I felt myself go flying and a sharp pain where Miza had been. I was dazed for a moment, staring at the grey ceiling above me. I looked over and saw the metal rebar in my shoulder. But past that I saw Miza's feet sticking out from underneath a car, a pool of blood soaking into her yellow sundress.

I felt something snap in my mind and I suddenly triggered. The information flowing forward from everything around me it gave me something to focus on. I did the only thing I could think to do and I ignored what was going on around me. I pushed it out of my mind and did everything I could do not to think about it. I knew I would have probably broken down in tears back then. Now I was just sad.

I took a deep breath and continued forward. I guess I did it. Somehow I thought facing the fact that my entire family had died would be much harder, much more dramatic. Or maybe I was just thinking that because that's what would happen in an anime.

But as sad as it was, I can't afford to dwell on it. I had things to do, things to focus on. After all, that had worked out for me so far.

I entered Tattletale's hideout with the crowd of people moving into the shelter. I passed the big burly man she had stationed to direct everyone, but I knew he was really on watch for Merchant members. I made my way to the front desk and slid into the room behind it where Lisa and Taylor were already waiting and talking. I was also aware of Imp hiding in the corner, but it seemed she didn't want to be seen for the moment. Lisa smiled at me the moment I walked into her information network hub. I had seen it already, but it was still slightly impressive. I recognized Minor, Senegal, Jaw, and Brooks.

"Well geez Lisa," I said to her, looking the three large men and Brooks up and down. "You could have at least gotten some good looking guys to take us." Lisa grinned.

"Unfortunately, it is hard to find supermodel soldiers, but I'll keep looking."

"Mm, you better," I said looking them over. My eyes fell on the shorter man, Brooks. "I guess I'll take this one." Brooks made a face but didn't say anything.

"Minor, you're with me and Senegal, you go with Taylor." Jaw raised an eyebrow.

"Four men and three girls?" Suddenly Aisha popped into existence and put a hand on Jaw's arm.

"I guess that means this one is mine."

"What the fuck?" Brooks and Jaws said together. I smirked.

"Watch it," Minor spoke. Both of the two of them looked like they had been slapped. Lisa grabbed arm bands from a drawer and started passing them out to each of us. I got a yellow one.

Lisa and Taylor talked a bit more back and forth as we made our way out of the base and towards the Merchant event we were going to infiltrate. Brooks stayed a distance away from me up until the point we were getting to the door. Probably because the last time Tattletale paired me with him during a job I nearly broke his foot.

Aisha and I were both wearing short shorts. She had a black strapless top and I wore one of my few white crop tops. Only my top said 'Look out, badass here'. I was waiting for someone to point out how my civilian clothing almost always had a crop top shirt that said 'badass' somewhere on it. However, to my disappointment, no one did. Aisha and I stayed close to each other all the way there. At one point Aisha elbowed me and pointed out how Brooks would glance at my chest every few minutes. I grinned as an idea appeared in my head.

"Check this out." Aisha immediately grinned with me, that had become something of a catch phrase with us. Slowly, I began seeping my power into him. When I felt it was about right for what I wanted I asked,

"Brooks?"

"What?" He asked swiftly, turning to face me more fully. With a sly grin, I put my hands together in front of me and use my arms to press my breasts up and together before saying,

"If you keep staring you might as well see them in full." The effect was delayed, but a secoud later blood exploded out his nose with enough force that he was sent sprawling to the ground.

Aisha and I burst out laughing as Brooks attempted to get back to his feet. I could see Segenal and Jaw making no attempts to mask their silly grins as Taylor failed to resist smiling. Lisa was grinning, but she did that alot.

"What the hell was that?" Brook growled while attempting to stem the tide of blood with a hand. I relaxed my power on him and the bleeding stopped almost instantly. It was Aisha that answered him.

"The sight of Riza's tits was so, heh, stimulating that you began bleeding out your nose." She began to cackle madly and Jaw started to chuckled. Lisa put a hand to her forehead and shook it.

"At this rate it'll be dark before we even get there," Taylor told us. Aisha rolled her eyes, but started walking forward anyway. I cast a glance at Brooks and winked once, causing a little bit more blood to leak out his nose. He shot me an angry look but I was already walking forward to join the rest.

We were at the 'party' a minute later and I almost fell over when the smell hit. The only reason I didn't was because I was scared of what might be on the floor. It smelled like sweat and garbage. Not to mention we had to push our way through the crowd of smelly, rowdy, drugged, people

"You should have brought Stravik." I said, staying as close to Taylor and the others so I didn't lose them and Senegal and Jaw pushed us through the crowd.

"I needed someone to watch the territory," she answered automatically, like she had the thought prepared. "Besides, he probably would have broken somebody's bones by accident." Suddenly we stopped by a man attempting to sell Minor another woman. When he declined the man tried to sell them drugs, but when Minor tried to turn them down Lisa stepped in and purchased a something called 'decadence'. She handed me a pill and I looked it over while she was attempting to convince Taylor to take it.

Drugs and anime powers? I would say it was a bad idea if I wasn't so curious. I looked at Aisha and we grinned together. We linked our arms together and popped the pills simultaneously with the linked arms and then we waited.

"Just a sugar pill," Lisa whispered into my ear.

"Damn it," I said, a little disappointed. Man, that would have been awesome. Aisha looked a little sad too, but I think Grue would have personally killed Lisa if she had actually given her drugs.

We suddenly stopped when we walked past a display where women were changing their clothing for the other's viewing pleasure. Some of them look like they were actually enjoying themselves, but there were at least two that were clearly forced up there. One was doing her best to put on a show, but the other was a shaking teenager who looked too terrified to do anything.

I felt a pang of sympathy for her. I could see Lisa urging us forward and I suddenly felt guiltly at the very idea of leaving her up there. Fortunately, Taylor was ahead me on that one.

"We need to help her," she said seriously.

"There is at least a hundred people in here that need help," Lisa said to her. "We can't save everyone."

"But we will help her. I'm not going to be able to walk away with this without doing something."

"I agree," I said suddenly cutting my way into their conversation. Taylor looked a bit baffled at me. Was I really that bad? "And I have an idea." Lisa looked me over for a moment.

"No," she said flatly.

"But it would work." I protested.

"That is why I don't want you to do it."

"Come on, please? Aisha is already getting ready." Lisa looked around and swore when she didn't see her around.

"Alright, but just this one time." I flashed a grin and darted up on stage. They got ready to drag me down and throw insults until they realized I was another woman and suddenly they cheered.

"Hey everyone!" I shouted, a say a few dozen head turn my way, I guess not many could hear over the music. Oh well, there were enough looking my way for what I was about to do. I grabbed my top and pulled it down, flashing the crowd. Like a wave, the crowd in front of me fell backwards in a chaotic storm of bleeding noses and tripping people. The only people still standing in the immediate vicinity was Lisa's guys who she wisely told to advert their eyes. Although I think Taylor was glaring at me for some reason.

As I put everything back where it belonged I turned and saw the women backing into the clothing store while the teenager from before was being dragged off by an invisible set of hands. The rest of us moved to follow Aisha and the girl down the hallway they moved into while the piles of nose bleeding men struggled and fought among themselves.

The girl was crying before we even got there and Aisha looked severely uncomfortable. Girl looked up wild eyed as we surrounded her from where she was crouching on the ground.

"You're safe," Lisa assured her. "We're not doing anything to you."

The girl wiped at her eye with the back of one hand, smearing thick eyeshadow and eyeliner across her temple

"But-"

"She's right," Minor spoke, standing, "You're as safe as you're gonna get for the next little while."

"Oh god," the girl sobbed. She moved forward, ready to give Minor a hug, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He didn't speak, but only turned to Lisa.

"Don't thank him. Thank those two there." She pointed at me and Taylor with two fingers. "If they hadn't insisted we would have been on our way." One moment the girl was standing there, the next she had thrown her arms around Taylor.

"Thank you." Taylor reflexively hugged her back.

"I didn't do anything," She said.

"Yeah," I said, "I did. Over here, significantly short on hugs and thanks."

"Thank you," she repeated. Now I was confused.

"Was that for me or-"

"Oh god."

"What?" Taylor asked, suddenly tense.

"Have you realized I flashed a bunch of drug fiends for you yet?" I got the distinct impression I was getting ignored.

"You go- you went to Winslow high."

"No." Taylor responded. I turned and looked a Lisa.

"Am I not here or something?"

"You're the locker girl." I suddenly looked back to the exchange between the two of them. Locker girl? Where had I heard that before? It sounded vaguely familiar, maybe someone from around- suddenly it clicked.

Oh. Oh, fuck all kinds of duck.

"You were the locker girl?" I asked incredulously. That was why she was pissed at Shadow Stalker?

"Both of you are thinking of the wrong person, and I seriously suggest you drop it." Suddenly the girl bit her lip. I almost felt guilt, but really. She was the locker girl? There were a dozen ways off the top of my head I could see her screwing with Emma and Sophia by doing. Why hadn't she ever done anything? Did she seriously let herself get bullied by those assholes, or was there another reason? I suddenly felt the distinct urge to punch someone as I thought about it. I made a note to punch Shadow Stalker in the face on Taylor's behalf the next time I saw her.

"Lisa, let's keep moving," Taylor said curtly, turning on her heels.

"Wait! You can't just leave me here!" Taylor looked between the girl and Lisa.

"It's up to you if you want to take her with us. Or we can have Aisha and Riza watch her." Taylor sighed. I noticed the girl was looking desperately between them.

"She can come."

"More dead weight." Brooks said.

"Keep it up Brooks," I threatened, shooting him a glare. Brooks held my gaze for a second then shrugged.

"Whats going on?" the girl asked. Suddenly Aisha threw her arm around her and said,

"Trust me when I say you don't want to know." That seemed to quite the girl.

We spent about five more minutes trying to find the kid Taylor was apparently looking for. I spent most of that time reminding the girl she didn't thank me. Eventually I got her to say it, but she didn't respond to anything else I said. Now I really felt bad.

I decided I would do better looking for Taylor's guy with the others for now. I looked up and saw a guy I recognized only from his photo walking across the catwalk above. Skidmark. He was setting up some containers around him. More drugs? I didn't like the thought, this party was barely staying from being a bloodbath as it was, they didn't need any more drugs in circulation here. I was about to say something when they apparently found the kid they were looking for.

They were just about to approach him when Skidmark announced his presence. "Hey Sisterfuckers!" We all paused and looked up at the platform he had built were the rubble was highest. Skidmark was grinning like an idiot, but I got the feeling he did that a lot.

"We have a free-for-all brawl planned for you piss-lickers tonight! Anything goes, use a weapon or jump in at the last second, I don't give a fuck! But whichever one of you shit-stains gets to be the last five standing in the ring, you get a little prize." Skidmark held up a round cylinder taken from the box. "Powers in a can!" A cheer went up from everyone in the crowd, cut off suddenly when an earth shattering crash sounded on the roof.

I could sense everyone around me freeze and look up where the crash came from. There was silence for a second as everyone waited. There was another loud thump and the ceiling sprinkled dust on us.

"Taylor?" Lisa asked quitely.

"A Tinker." Taylor said. "Orange hair, black and pink power suit of some strange design, hard to make out." I wanted to ask something but paused. Since when could she see through he bugs? My thinking was interrupted as the roof cracked along the edges. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. The roof was being lifted.

A cute ginger girl with large green eyes poked her head into the room from where she held the roof up. She smiled widely as she scanned the room with her wide green eyes.

"Ooo, a party." She said happily.

"Oh shit," Lisa swore.

"What? Who is she?" I asked, my hand drifting towards my chest for the hidden shuriken.

"The siege weapon Tinker, Queen of the Castle."


	8. Sliding

"What the fuck? What do you mean what the fuck?" Lisa said, her eye widening. Taylor turned her head and stared Lisa.

"What's happening?" Lisa was staring angrily off into space as if she was talking to someone else entirely.

"You're my power! How can you not know, you always know!"

"Lisa!" Taylor shouted, lightly slapping her across the face. "What's going on." The slap seemed to do it as Lisa blinked and then shook her head out of the daze.

"My power its- its having its own personal mental breakdown and I'm not even sure how that is possible." Taylor glanced up at Queen of the Castle. She wore pink, black, and white power armour with dozens of unrecognizable weapons placed all around her. Miniature missiles were flying from unseen portions on her armour and causing explosions the size of small cars all around The Merchants. It didn't look like Skidmark made it thirty seconds after Queen of the Castle began opening fire.

"Lisa we need to move." Taylor urged. Lisa nodded and made a hand motion to Minor who turned and began instructing the other soldiers she brought.

"Should I distract her?" Riza asked. Taylor looked her over and automatically knew her power was already working. She was holding it back, letting it seep into her but not letting the effects take hold. Probably waiting for the go ahead.

'Tenant,' Taylor thought.

"On it," he responded. Tenant lifted his hands and closed his eyes to focus. Taylor felt her two mind slowly move into each other and fuse together. Immediately she was aware of everything around her. She could see and hear through her bugs and was able to understand and process that information from every single bug in the area. Her own senses doubled and she gained the capability to intuitively take in and understand every detail no matter how small that her eyes and ears took in.

"You have a few tidbits on Queen of the Castle." Tenant said. "But nothing critical. She is known as 'The Mad Siege Tinker' I think I understand why now." Even though the conversation between Tenant and her was taking place almost instantaneously, Queen of the Castle was putting on a show every second Tenant had to pause to do something. She was laughing happily as she opened fire with miniature machine guns on the underside of her arms. Merchants were collapsing left and right.

Taylor clenched a fist.

'How many people have died?' Tenant paused what he was doing.

"I don't think we should be using processing power to-"

'Answer the question Tenant.' Tenant fell silent and she could feel the numbers running somewhere in her subconscious, drawing information from her bugs and her own senses.

"Fifty seven so far, climbing every second." Taylor mentally nodded and turned her

'I have an idea in mind, got anything better?'

"I do. Your idea, using Tsundere's power over Tattle's soldiers to help us barrel through this people is only going to make us a target. She has been striking large groups."

'You want us to split up?'

"Yes, smaller groups. Two in each, sticking to the edges of the room while avoiding groups of stampeding people."

'With Tsundere and Imp to distract her for the best chance of escaping.'

"God, it's nice to have a host that can keep up with me." Tenant paused. "Wait, Faultline's Crew coming in. Shouldn't be hard to get them to work with Tsundere once they see Queen doing her thing."

'Got it.' The entire exchange only took a few seconds and she was back into the fray.

"Riza, Aisha, do your thing." Riza grinned and almost as if the snapped her fingers she was an anime character again. She struck an interesting balance between the two kinds of existence, her body keeping most of its dimensions while her features stretched and shrank until she resembled the cartoon more than a normal person. She always seemed to have trouble with the lips though.

This time when she allowed the accumulating power to flood over her her blond hair turn it a shiny black. Aisha disappeared from most people's minds, but Tenant allowed for continued observation.

"Lisa, go with Minor towards the hole in the wall over there." She pointed on the other side of the mall, along the wall they were closest to. "Senegal and I will go through there," Taylor pointed at the opposite wall, "and meet you in the front." Lisa raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she instructed Jaw and Brooks were and they supposed to do and go.

She and Senegal dodged and weaved through the crowd expertly. Senegal shoving anyone who got in there way and Taylor ducking and twisting to avoid touching anyone. Tenant stopped a few background functions and slow time to a quarter of its speed for her mind, giving her more time to notice and avoid other people's bodies.

Through her bugs she could feel Tsundere leaping all around as she avoided Queen's missiles, each time she managed to leap forward a few more feet. She threw a shuriken at her but just before it struck and would have sunk into her armour at the shoulder, some sort of sonic blast shot out from her suit and not only stopped the shuriken, but also killed all the bugs Taylor had placed in the area.

She saw Faultline's Crew grabbing the canisters that Skidmark had said would give a person powers. They didn't seem to care about anything more than that.

Her bugs told her that Jaw lifting the kid, Bryce, they came for while Brooks was escorting the girl they had saved out through a third path out of the ruined mall. They were almost to the hole in the wall where she had pointed when Tenant spoke.

"Careful, Queen shot you through your right leg." Taylor glanced down and saw he was right. "I don't think she hit anything important, no pain signals from the bone or major arteries. But you might want to avoid aggravating it nonetheless." Taylor nodded and then noticed something happening in one area of the mall. Through her bugs she could see a kid with glowing orbs popping in and out of existence around him.

"Senegal." Taylor ordered while Tenant made a disapproving noise in the background. "There is a kid back there, recently triggered. We're going back and grabbing him, the flashes of lights around him look harmful, but they won't touch you." Senegal nodded once and let her lead the way. As she moved she let her two mind split again, the secondary one turning on to Queen and Tsundere's fight.

Tsundere was in striking distance now, but was trying to avoid weapon's mounted on Queen's arm. A telescoping battering ram and some sort of sonic cannon. Queen seemed unable to use the missiles in that range and there was a shuriken stuck inside the machine gun on her right arm.

Tsundere was holding a pair of knives she probably picked up off someone and was attempting to slash the components on her suit. Her power was steadily increasing as the fight drew on. She was becoming a blur of movement each time she darted to a new position, only visible when she was actually moving to attack.

"You're not the bad men!" Queen wailed plaintively as she reach down and pulled something from the mechanized combat skirt that was part of her suit. Tsundere hesitated in the next attack, changing at the last second and leaping backwards. Queen held up a large red blade that cut through the wall behind her.

"You're after villains?" Tsundere asked.

Taylor found the kid she had been talking about before unconscious on the ground. She practically shoved him into Senegal's arms and they turned to run back towards the hole they wanted to escape from.

"Nope," Queen of the Castle answered, "But the shiny capes leave me alone more if I test my weapons on bad men." Queen suddenly did a back flip and opened fire with miniature missiles again. Tsundere darted out of the way and threw a knife at her, it glanced off her upper thigh.

A small explosion suddenly erupted from the soles of Queens feet, propelling her forward and stabbing Tsundere in the shoulder. Tsundere swore and moved further out of the way, but Queen made a wide gesture with her remaining machine gun, shooting everywhere, but still missing Tsundere.

"Careful you idiot." Tenant hissed at her. Taylor suddenly realized a bullet had struck all the way through her chest, a dull pain creeping forward despite Tenant attempting to block the signals to her brain. "She missed your heart, but you might have a punctured lung." Tenant informed her. "I'm triggering an adrenaline rush to compensate in three, two, one-" Taylor's eyes widen as the substance was released began to flow through her. She worked a bit harder at moving towards the door.

"We don't have to fight," Tsundere was saying. "If you joined us we would give you unending targets to test your stuff on. And if the heros come after you, we can fight them together, we'll have each others backs." Tsundere stabbed a knife into Queen's other machine gun.

"Nope," Queen said, pulling out a second blade from her mechanized combat skirt. "People and me don't work together at all. They say my things are too big, that I'm crazy, that I break too many buildings."

"I wouldn't say that." Tsundere told her. "The suit you're wearing looks awesome! Why would anyone want stop you from making that?" Suddenly Queen stopped moving and tilted her head.

"You really think so?" Tsundere grinned and strode up to her nonchalantly, one hand pressed against her shoulder to stem the bleeding.

"Of course, I've heard of a lot of Tinkers, but how many have combat skirts as part of their costume?" Queen began jumping up and down.

"I know! Isn't great, it gives me so much armour and I can hide things in it too! It a skirt and an armoury!"

"Like those swords you have." Queen began jumping up and down, clapping her hands together.

"My armour piercing blades? That not even the half of it! I've got grenades and EMPs and C4 and shaped explosives and wall drills and glass cutters and laser cutters and all this other stuff I don't even know what to call!"

"Sweet! I just think, if you joined us we could give you all the supplies you need and plenty of people to use them on." Queen tilted her head and paused.

"I'll think about it."

"Trust me when I saw its really fun!" Queen eye's widened again.

"Really, really fun?"

"Oh like you wouldn't believe."

"Now I really have to think about it. See you later cartoon girl." Queen turned to leave when Tsundere said,

"Look forward to it, and its Tsundere by the way." Queen offered a grin before sticking her arms out, wings extending out the length of her arms. Small thrusters appeared and she started flying away. The second she was a good distance away from the roof Aisha reappeared where Queen had been standing.

"Did you just win a fight by recruiting the person that was trying to kill you?" Tsundere considered it a moment.

"Yeah, I suppose I did." The two of them chuckled and then start making their way towards the rest of the group.

Taylor approached Lisa and the others a good distance away from the mall and collapsed against a wall, all the energy she had leaving her in an instant. Lisa snapped something and Brooks immediately moved to work on the holes in her chest and leg.

"How the fuck did you stay standing?" Lisa said, moving by Taylor's side.

"I had a lot of incentive." She answered.

"The bullet clipped her lungs." Brooks said. "It isn't serious now, but you're going to want to get her to the doctor." Suddenly, she felt the rest of the pain clear away and the lightheadedness she hadn't realized was accumulating dispersed. Riza and Ashia walked the corner a moment later.

"You stopped losing blood." Tenant observed. "Or rather your still losing blood, but Tsundere is making it pointless. I can't tell if she is making more blood or is just replacing it all as it gets lost, but you won't run out so long as she is nearby." Taylor nodded just as Riza spotted her and her eye widened.

"Riza," Taylor called. Riza froze in place, unsure if she should move or not. "Please don't invite psychopath Tinkers to join the team." Riza relaxed and grinned.


	9. Finding My Footing

This sucked. I thought that joining the villains would have been fun, and it has to some degree. I just thought it would be more. But I don't even feel like an Undersider at all. I'm there for the fun stuff, I guess. I got to fight Dragon's suits, Tattletale calls on me and Imp whenever she needs some heads bashed, Skitter sends me and Brute to make some displays around the territory every now and then, and then there was the thing with the Merchants. But I don't get to be part of the important things.

I don't get to talk to Coil about supplies, he barely acknowledges me. I was basically ignored when the whole end of the world thing came up. I have been left out of every conversation about the Slaughterhouse Nine. Even now I am all by myself while Lisa and Taylor get patched up and talk to Charlotte and Sierra. I was part of The Undersiders, but I wasn't a Undersider. I felt more like hired help, only getting told what I needed to know.

Suddenly, I wondered if that is what they think as Brute and me as. I basically told Coil that I was for whoever needed help and Brute had labelled himself as a tool long before anyone else had. Grue certainly didn't seem to like me all that much either.

The more I thought about it the more it seemed like that is exactly how things were. And if I was going to change it, I would need to fix a few things.

First, I needed to become more connected to Skitter. It will mean I get to spend less time with Aisha, but I can't be loaning myself to Tattle whenever she wants. Next, I need to be more involved. It was great doing things just for the fun of it, but I need a more active role in these meeting and such. Maybe even ask for territory later. Finally, I need to build my own reputation. I was new on the scene, and they had a name and face to me thanks to me not caring all that much about a life I don't have anymore. But I haven't been in anything major since joining. That would have to change. Hopefully, this whole deal with The Slaughterhouse Nine would let me earn my stripes. But I needed more, and hopefully being the chick that recruits Queen of the Castle to the team would be an important thing.

I have been reading up on Queen while Taylor and Lisa got patched up. According to the Protectorate, Queen of the Castle is incredibly resourceful to the point of completing projects would take anyone else millions of dollars projects with just a few thousand. She can also build much faster than any other Tinkers with few exceptions, needing very little to almost no prep time.

Being a Tinker that specializes in siege weapons makes her incredibly dangerous everyone and everything. But she is also mentally unhinged, which would probably be the reason everyone, hero and villain alike, get nervous when she appears in their town. But there was a smaller detail that the Protectorate was trying to hide before they stole the data from their base. She had a history of screwing with Thinker powers, which is probably what caused Tattletale to freak out earlier for. But there isn't anything written down as why she messes with those power. Maybe a Tinker device, but it doesn't fit with the siege weaponry.

I sighed. While this was really nice to know for when I saw Queen next, it didn't do me any good now. And I was still bored, only now I have told myself I can't go and help the other Undersiders. Maybe I could go and talk with Brute, he is good for conversation if you force him into it.

I was just about to get up a leave when the four of them, Lisa, Taylor, Charlotte, and Sierra, walked out of Coil's doctor little set up. Taylor looked at me for a moment before saying,

"I'm taking these two back to my territory for some food and rest if you wanted to come. Or you can do your own thing." I made face. I wanted to be more involved with the team, but would I still be acting like hired help if I went with her?

"I think I'll patrol the territory for a bit, get some practice in."

"Sounds good." She started walking away with the two girls in tow when Lisa approached me.

"Hey Riza," She greeted with a little wave and a smile, "Can you keep an eye on Taylor for me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"How come?"

"Cuz she's been acting strangely. She took those bullets like they were nothing and according to Senegal, she was moving through the crowd like an expert. I think there's something up."

"Hm, well, she has been reading a lot."

"Reading?"

"Yeah, like mountains of books every night. All based on combat and skills she might need." Lisa frowned.

"Well, keep an eye out for me, will ya? Thanks." Lisa had turned around and left before I even had a chance to answer. I stuck my tongue out at her and turned to leave myself. I had to get my stuff, there were some things I needed to test.

I had noticed that my hair had changed colour when I fought Queen. I was thinking that if I could manage that again I might be able to apply it more, maybe have my costume appear out of nowhere, or have my swords materialize out of thin air.

My power tended to more finicky when I tried to narrow it down to more specific things. Most of the time I exerted the force of my power to myself and everything within my area of influence. It made me and all of my allies more durable and stopped us from bleeding out. Firearms become less accurate the more my power begins to affect them, but blades become sharper and stronger the longer my power seeps into it.

I had started to think of everything as a spongy material that can soak up my power as I put it out, and that certain things had a threshold where they wouldn't change much more. Things like guns and other people tended to become as affected as they're going to get within ten or twenty minutes. I didn't have a threshold, or at least I haven't found it yet. The longer the fight carried on the more time I had to let my power change me, I was like Lung, I got stronger the longer the battle carried on.

It would be nice to know specifics about my power, but so many thing revolved around how long I let myself soak up my power. But that wasn't the only issue, as soon as I stopped using my power I get dead tired. The battle with Queen only last a few minutes, but I could tell I would fall asleep the moment I relaxed my power completely. So instead I focused it on my surroundings where no one would notice it. Then at night I'll just stop it all and pass out.

The effects on the world weren't as obvious as the effects on my body. Lines got straighter, walls became smoother, people moved a bit more fluidly, small things like that only someone really observant would notice. But right now I wanted people to notice me.

I let my power build up around me but forced the effects of it away. Like holding a bowl over a sponge and slowly filling that bowl with water. It wasn't perfect, the changes started to seep through; making my eyes wider and smoother, a certain energy I got that told me I could start running and jumping at unrealistic speeds. Small things like that begun to take hold as I stalked my targets.

A larger group of Merchants, living on the border between Grue's and Skitter's territory. I need a show of force, not just for the Undersiders. I needed the local groups, The Pure, The Chosen, and the Protectorate themselves, to know I'm here, that I'm a threat. I'd seen Skitter leverage that reputation a number of times and I know that the team itself thrives on the same kind of thing.

I had paid off a few people to stand by and record what was about to happen with cell phones and the like. When the Protectorate came through here that video will circulate for a bit, then in the next few days I might have a little something to leverage.

I closed my eyes and focus on a specific picture as I let all my power wash over me in its entirety. After a few moments when I felt the changes stop I opened my eye checked my hair. Pink.

The picture I had been focusing on was the image of an anime girl with pink hair pulled into curly pigtails, and my power copied it exactly. Or well, almost exactly. As ran my fingers through my new hair I found a pair of cat ears poking out of my head. And like that I found myself grinning like an idiot.

I dropped into the center of the Merchants and immediately had an understanding of the area through my power. Twelve were around me outside the ruined house they were camping in, fifteen more inside surrounding a… pillow fort? Interesting, but not why I'm here.

I unhooked my left bokken and slashed out in front of me, sending a visible wave of force arcing outward. It slammed into seven on them, sending them literally head over heels across the street. I turned to face the others and felt firearms in their hands.

I zig-zagged forward in a blur of movement, easily dodging the gunfire from pistols and one really rusty rifle. I didn't even want to know how they got those guns.

Three men stood shoulder, concentrating fire on me for however much good it will do them. I hit the rifle that was held in the man in the centre of the group, shattering it on contact with the bokken. Two more quick strikes and I broke the other two guns.

Two of them turned to run and I flashed out my bokken again, breaking one leg each for both of them. For the final one, I turned my bokken around and slammed the handle into his throat and he went sprawling on the ground.

I turned and saw most of the Merchants I knocked to the ground running away. Most drug fiends were like that, only sticking around for what they thought would be easy for them. Unfortunately, the others were still on said drugs and rushed me with wide-eyed, dilated, crazed stares.

I tripped the first one and elbowed him into the ground, the pavement cracking from the impact. The others went down similarly, except for the last one. She swayed towards me, probably on some hallucinogen rather than the stimulants though other guys were on. I flicked the wooden sword towards her and she went flying through the air, crashing into a building face. My power saved her from turning into a blood stain as I willed it to.

The others were coming out of the building, looking a lot less drugged up and a lot more smug. In the centre of them was a greasy looking man in a crude costume made of scraps of clothing and metal. He stood about six feet tall and held a massive chainsaw in his hands. I slid the bokken back onto my hip and rested my hand on katana below it.

"Ah, nice to see a pretty face I can tear apart," the greasy Marchant cape said through yellow teeth. I felt my power swell as he spoke. I began to grin.

"Aw, but my face is my best feature." I could see his eyes behind his mask glance downward.

"Well, I would disagree with that."

"Nice of you to say? And before we get to the killing each other, can I have your name?" With every word I felt my power build up, a classic staple of anime; extending fights with dialogue. It wouldn't help me with an Endbringer but capes tended to lean toward the dramatic, one more tool for the arsenal.

"Yours first, cat girl."

"Tsundere, newest member of The Undersiders."

"Snapper, veteran of the Merchants."

"Good to hear, I don't suppose you'll team me your power while we're at it."

"No."

"Ah," I sighed, "What a shame." He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as I unsheathed my katana, slashing it outward in a wide arc. I didn't want to kill anyone if I could avoid it, brings hell on me and The Undersiders alike. My power did its best to accommodate that want, but bokken smashed, cracked, shattered, and otherwise broke things. Katana's cut, sliced, separated, and sheared through things.

A trail of fire traced the path my blade took as I unsheathed it and the force blade took a red tint as it flew forward. It cut through the chainsaw Snapper was holding and bit into his chest, knocking him backwards. The non-capes surrounding him took much deeper cuts and feel to the ground. I immediately extended my power over them all to keep them from bleeding out. Snapper tried to stand back up, but before he could move another inch he had two shurikens embedded into his shoulders.

I was aware a flying cape entering my sphere of influence from above. I turned and saw Glory Girl floating downwards behind me. I sheath my sword and put my hands up.

"They're all yours," Glory Girl frowned.

"You know I can't just let you leave right?"

"Who says you can stop me?" At that moment someone fast had entered my range and punched Glory Girl hard in the face, launching her into a building her where she then collapsed to the ground.

"Brute, good timing." Brute greeted me with a nodded then looked at Glory Girl.

"She is strong, very durable. Should not have defeated her so easily. She is faking, yaes? But then why did I steal some of her power?" I smiled at him.

"Her invulnerability goes down for a few seconds after she takes a big hit, and you kind of hit her into a wall before it could come back."

"Hm, thought hero capes were supposed to be tough. Wait, vhy do you have ear of cat?"

"Oh, you know, just kind of felt like it." Brute shook his head.

"Skeeter sent to bring you back. Slaughterhouse Nine is doing something, yaes. Bad for team, bad for city." His accent made the word 'slaughter' sound particularly gruesome.

"Yeah, just a sec though. I have to check this out." I strode into the building the Merchant people had been in and walked up to the pillow fort. It was more like a pillow bunker, with no ways in or out. I could sense two people inside with some food rations that looked like barely enough for a day's worth of eating. One of the people was tall, skinny. Mostly likely a guy. The other was very short and I got the general since she was a little girl. Father and daughter? Brother and sister? And why were they in a pillow bunker, and why did it interest the Merchants?

Slowly I pulled out a katana and attempted to cut the pillow bunker down, only for my katana to bounce off harmlessly. I looked over my shoulder at Brute and he seemed to know what I was thinking. I stepped out of the way to let him move in to grab a handful of pillows.

The pillow bunker came down a second later, leaving the two people inside standing stock still, staring wide-eyed at us. The man, about seventeen or eighteen by my guess, wore a blue spandex suit with a red cap and mask. The little girl didn't wear a costume but…

"Oh my god!" I shrieked, getting strange looks from everyone. "She is just too cute! Eek!" I don't know why I said 'eek' instead of making the sound but damn was that girl cute! She had snow white hair and pink eyes against incredibly pale skin and her whole face was just… fucking adorable. If my power changed other people the way it changed me, I was ten thousand percent sure I could turn her from person to chibi in two seconds flat!

"I want one! I want ten oh my god! It's too much! Too much cuteness!"

"Why are you touching my sister like that?" I heard the other guy ask, more in confusion than in defense. I couldn't stop myself, I was rubbing her adorable little head before I knew it and she had this adorable little wobble and an adorable cute look of confusion in her eyes and-

"She is just too cute!" I said defensively. The cape guy sighed.

"Yeah, I know."

"Vhat are you doing here?" Brute asked, trying to get back on track with a conversation that made sense. But I didn't need him, I contented myself with cuddling that adorable girl's head until she told me to stop. Which she didn't, and for that I am glad.

"The Merchants were chasing us and we thought we could hole up in here for the night. But they found us and we had been stuck in fort every day since." Brute nodded.

"I see, yaes. And vhat is with the pillows?" The guy suddenly straightened and puffed his chest out a bit.

"That would be my amazing power. The awesome strength of PillowMan!" We paused for a moment.

"PillowMan?" I asked.

"It's a great name," Pillowman said a little too quickly. "Look." He held out a hand and in a little flash of white light a pillow appeared in the air and flew toward Brute. Brute caught it without issue.

That had to be the most disappointing power out of all the universes.

"Trying damaging it." Pillowman said confidently. Brute looked at him, then at me, then back at him. He turned the pillow over in his hands and began to pull on it, but despite what was probably Brute's full strength the pillow didn't break.

"This is stupid power." Brute said, a little put out from the fact the pillow was in perfect condition.

"You're just saying that because you can't summon indestructible yet surprisingly soft pillows at whim." PillowMan crossed his arms and actually stuck his nose in the air in indignation.

"Oh my god, he is adorable too!" I shouted, grabbing PillowMan in a headlock and pulling him and his sister close while PillowMan sputtered.

"Can I keep them?" I asked Brute with a pouty face. "Please, I want them so bad. Look at their adorable little faces. Their half starved, ragged, in need of shower, adorable faces." Brute looked at me flatly.

"You vould have to feed and water them regularly, yaes, and make sure the get plenty of exercise." Brute lifted a pillow. "And you vill have to clean mess they make."

"I can do it, I promise." Brute nodded.

"Take them back to lair and met me at Bitch's territory, ve have the Slaughterhouse Nine to deal with." Brute turned and leapt to the top of the nearest building and disappearing from sight. PillowMan tried turning around in my death grip to look at me.

"I'm confused," he said, "Did we just become your slaves or your pets?" I squeezed the adorable two closer to me. It would have been this awesome collective of cuteness if Pillowman didn't start bleeding out his nose when I accidentally hugged him into my boobs.

But maybe that was cuter, I don't know.

Then I saw it. Brute saw it, PillowMan and his sister saw it, every last person in the city saw it. It announced his arrival, the man that everyone knew, the man almost more feared than an Endbringer. Quite possibly the only man capable of upstaging the Slaughterhouse Nine. The man entire nations have attempted to stop before and failed. The man that can cause a truce between villain and hero with his mere presence.

I the bottom left-hand corner of my vision, a message appeared, the same message everyone else in the city got.

**Troll has committed suicide.**


	10. Traction

Skitter watched passively as Squealer and Black Tar pulled up in their massive yacht sized cruiser ship and immediately started to pick a fight with Faultline. Understandable, her crew was seen at the crashed party, and they couldn't really take their anger out on Queen of the Castle.

Bugs told her the inner workings of the ship, laying out all the weapons and corridors inside of it. It wasn't any better on the inside than it was the outside, slanted, thrown together, looking like it might fall apart. The information had the on guns let her start dismantling and jamming the weapons discreetly as the conversation went on around them.

Skitter's second mind was focused on thinking about the two people Tsundere had brought back with her yesterday. PillowMan, real name James, and his sister, Anna. Both of them were capes, but each of them kind of useless. PillowMan obviously summoned pillows that were almost indestructible didn't get dirty or wet. And, as Taylor found out last night, every side of the pillow is the cool side of the pillow.

His sister Anna, on the other hand, could tell if were about to die, but usually only a few hours before it happens. Like Dinah, she could see the chances but instead of percentages she saw it as fractions. Skitter would have dismissed their powers as completely useless until Tenant pointed out that the pillows might be able to stop Siberian. But even then it was unlikely that would become a viable option.

She turned her second mind to the conversation at hand and her general surroundings as her primary mind worked with Tenant to pick apart and understand Squealer's ship. Every now and then she picked up a little bit more technology information and stored it away, very much aware that Tenant was not only making her a Thinker but also a Tinker.

Brute was smoking a cigar while he stood next to Skitter, waiting for instruction or otherwise. He was probably the most valuable person she had working for her, even though she still didn't quite understand his mentality that made him offer himself to people. He not only dealt with almost all threats very easily, he was managing all the hired muscle as well while she dealt with the reconstruction side of things.

But in terms of this meeting he might as well be another Siberian. He is strong, fast, and now that he stole a bit of Glory Girl's invincibility, incredibly difficult to injure. No one has seen him lose a fight or get hurt since the first few times he had appeared on the cape scene. She knew that now was because he hadn't beaten a lot of heroes at that time, but the others didn't know that. It made him a tool in the political sense as well.

Tsundere was pulling on a pair of dark purple gloves that went up to her elbow and matched her kimono. She had more reputation than she realized, simply by helping everyone of The Undersiders and even Sundancer at one point secure their territory. Her power gave her incredible offensive and defensive strength, and allowed her to use lethal force without actually killing them. Skitter had been silently observing all the applications Tsundere had discovered thus far. She has learned something new each fight, and appears to be able to change her face and hair colour easily as well. Tonight she had black hair with large teal eyes that reflected the moonlight.

Skitter's first mind was working on that task when Miss Militia stepped onto the building top they were meeting at. It was barely sticking up out of the water and provided them neutral ground to talk with each other.

Skitter observed everyone. Miss Militia to represent the Protectorate. Coil, by himself. Purity with Crusader, Fog, and Night. Black Tar, the new leader of the Merchants with Squealer and the ship full of Merchants and disabled guns behind him. All of the Travelers, with Genesis in some sort of turtle snake form. Faultline's Crew, standing passively off to the side. Which, besides The Undersiders, left Hookwolf and his Chosen.

Hookwolf had been casting glances in Skitter's direction, combined with a smug look and the confident way he held himself it wasn't hard to tell what he was up to.

'He knows.' Skitter thought.

"Yes," Tenant agreed. "And he is probably going to try and turn this entire meeting against you if you let him."

'Suggestions?'

"Turn it against him. You're not stupid, and he is a smug idiot white supremacist douchebag. It shouldn't be that hard." Skitter suddenly noticed Tattletale staring at her.

"It seems we have a problem," Miss Militia said as she approached the teams.

"We do," Hookwolf answered, "Four problems actually." The rest of them nodded.

"Four?" Purity asked. "I only counted three."

"Its those." Hookwolf point over at The Undersiders, and then the Travelers. "They think their smart, clever even. But I think it's better that we get it out in the open, you too Coil, Miss Militia."

"Perhaps you'd better explain," Coil said.

"They have been taken territory all over the city. Upper downtown, The Boardwalk, College Neighbourhoods, Trainyard, The Docks." Hookwolf turned to address the Travelers. "They ain't much better. Got Sundancer in the shopping district, Genesis in the downtown coast, Trickster driving looters out of the heart of downtown. See the pattern? They're all moving to take pieces of the city for themselves."

"We already knew they were talking territory," Miss Militia responded, "This isn't a priority. The Nine-"

"They haven't taken territory," Hookwolf snapped back, "They're taking the city. Split it up all nice and proper between them, and now they're taking advantage of the distraction the Nine are giving them to secure their positions before we fucking catch on."

Grue and Trickster looked at each other for a moment, sharing in some unspoken agreement.

"We didn't know about the Nine before we started this."

"So Hookwolf is right," Purity said bluntly, a bit of her surprise appearing on her face. Grue nodded silently.

"This isn't a concern for us," Miss Militia said sternly, "We are here for the other three problems. Dealing with the Slaughterhouse Nine, moving against Queen of the Castle, and resisting Troll until he gets bored and leaves." More notifications announcing more of Troll's deaths have popped up in the last twenty-four hours. From getting run over to getting electrocuted by Squealer.

The issue with Troll wasn't that he was dangerous by himself. He didn't have any more ability than any other person. The difficulty with Troll was that there was no way to stop him despite that. Every time he dies he 'respawns' a block or so away and just comes back over and over again until he gets what he wants. And when what he wants is to screw with people, things tended to end badly with him around.

"That might help for the next week or two, but from a month from now you'll be regretting it." Hookwolf told her. "What we need is to stop them from using the Nine as a distraction to gain more control."

"That is not our intent." Trickster said quickly.

"Then agree to the truce and stay away from your territories or in a hotel on the Protectorates tab until this is all sorted. You won't hold territory until the Nine are dealt with."

"You're attempting to turn this meeting against us." Skitter suddenly said, drawing looks from the other in her group. "You want to set things up so would have to agree to terms we would never agree to or be forced out of this alliance." Hookwolf frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but Skitter cut him off. "Whether you want us out of this truce out of spite or because it would give you the advantage in the future it doesn't matter, you want us on this truce." Hookwolf's eye narrowed at them.

"You're all full of yourselfs. There is no way we can fight the Nine if we have to worry about you trying to extend your influence." It was Tsundere that spoke next.

"Brute?" Brute took the cigar out of his mouth and looked at Tsundere.

"How many punches to kill Jack Slash?" Brute paused for a moment, the answered with,

"One punch."

"And what about Bonesaw?"

"One punch."

"Shatterbird?"

"One punch."

"Mannequin?"

"One punch."

"Crawler?"

"Eh, at least two, yaes."

"And what about Hookwolf here." Hookwolf tensed as Brute cast a fleeting glance in his direction.

"Please, I could sneeze in his direction and he would fall into pile of metal toothpicks." Grue looked over and realized what happening and took our lead by saying,

"We have power you can't ignore, nor go without if you want to fight the Nine. And if you insist on excommunicating us, then we will have to extend our own truce to The Protectorate and others willing to participate."

"I'm inclined to agree." Coil said with a nod. "And perhaps now is the opportune time to share this information; I have sources that inform my that should Jack Slash survive his trip to Brockton Bay it bodes ill for everyone."

The conversation turned away from them for a moment as Coil shared the fact that the world might end in two years. Skitter took the moment to pull her bugs out of Squealer's contraption and to observe everyone's reaction. Coil was on board and Miss Militia seemed willing to come to a deal with them. Hookwolf looked profusely agitated, while the others look angry. They didn't like getting played as fools, but they knew what the Undersiders and Travelers brought to the table between Brute, Tsundere, and their general collective power. If they could get Miss Militia to value their strength over Hookwolf's Chosen then more might follow her because of the Protectorate's resources.

"-for this to happen," Hookwolf cut in, turning Skitter's attention back to the conversation. "Travelers and the Undersiders must agree to our terms." A few of the nodded, Faultline, Coil, and Miss Militia excepted. Coil was about to say something when they heard a massive horn, something like one might hear from a large cargo ship.

They turned just as the ship appeared in their line of sight. It was a full-scale battleship, large enough to make Squealer's cruiser look like a toy next to it. Obvious Tinker made guns were mounted all along the sides, on the decks, and the control tower. The barrels for the weapons were large enough that any one of them could have crawled inside of it and fit comfortably. Some of them looked like energy weapons, pointing into the sky.

The moment the horn finished going off everything fell into an eerie silence as it slowly drifted the last few dozen feet without making another sound. Purity grew bright as she activated her power and others prepared for a fight but Hookwolf and Grue waved them down.

"If you provoke that thing we're all dead," Hookwolf growled. The others heard and didn't attack, but none of them backed down. The ship jerked to a dead stop just inches away from the building. It became very apparent that whoever was driving the ship could have run them all over without a second thought and there probably wouldn't have been a thing they could have done about it.

A figure appeared above them, leaping off the front of the ship and falling towards them before wings on her suit opened up and Queen of the Castle landed gently in the centre of everyone.

"Why is everyone here?" She asked, her head tilting slightly. "Is it a party? I like parties."

"Queen of the Castle," Miss Militia said cautiously, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" Queen said, her eyes lighting up and pointing a Tsundere. "She invited me! Saying it would be fun!" All eyes fell on Tsundere. Her mouth fell open a bit and a large cartoonish teardrop appeared on her head for a second before disappearing. The effects were immediate, Skitter knew in an instant that everyone except maybe Hookwolf was going to be completly okay with their inclusion. Queen of the Castle is one person you do not want to have against you.

"Hey, Queen." Tsundere said slowly. "We were just discussing how to take down the Slaughterhouse Nine and-"

"Oh wow! Those are like really bad people." Tsundere smiled at her.

"Yeah, so bad in fact, that everyone in the city, heros, villains, us, are going to not fight each other at all while we fight them." Queen's grin widened.

"So I could use whatever to kill them and no one is going to chase me for it?" Tsundere looked to Miss Militia, who hesitated before nodding.

"So long as you stick with us, then sure."

"Yay!" Queen pumped a fist into the air, the jets on her flight suit lifting her a few feet higher into the air as she did. Skitter turned to look at Hookwolf.

"Would you like to join our truce?" She asked.


End file.
